I am sure this is something you did not know about me…..I enjoy watching the game of baseball! I am a fan that really comes to life during the playoffs and the World Series but I do keep my “eye on the ball” throughout the season. (Sorry for the pun…).
Have you ever noticed how closely related playing to succeed in business is to the game of baseball? In baseball each player goes up to bat with the goal of hitting the ball; which is similar to booking appointments from a prospecting list. How elated you feel when you get a yes and have booked a date for an appointment. But how horrible you can feel when you strike out.
Success in building a business is truly like stepping up to home plate to take the Swing and to keep swinging even if you strike out. Baseball players do this every inning, every game, all season. Sometimes they hit the ball and sometimes they strike out but they keep swinging.
How many of us continue on even after we get a few no’s, after a cancellation or a no-sale appointment?
Babe Ruth who is thought of as the home-run king, said; “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” And ……“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run””
He held the lifetime total home run record of 714. He also held another record; 1,330 career strikeouts but he still was known for hitting the most homeruns. However, he also was called the Strikeout King.
Isn’t it interesting that each baseball player always starts at home base? When they hit the ball the player runs to 1st base, then 2nd base, on to 3rd base and then home. They don’t take a shortcut to get to home base faster…they have to touch every base. I found in business how important it was for me to touch every base… to learn and experience the basics of the business.
If one of my appointments was a ‘strikeout’ … I would go back to home base and start the process again. Staying in the game means to play full out. To give it your best every single time … some times you will advance and other times you will go back to the dugout and wait for your next turn at bat.
Being successful in business you also have to play the game by starting at home base, touching each base along the way (toward your goal) and then starting the process all over again. Each time you repeat the process it gets easier … each time you are getting closer to Mastery.
I repeat as Babe Ruth was quoted…. “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” And …… “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run”…..and I add keep SWINGING!
Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs:
the future can be better and I have the power to make it so.
