It's Okay to Strike Out!
When I was in grade school, I played Little League for part of one season, and then later on in High School, I attempted again to get on the school's baseball team, and failed miserably. I wish then I would have known that it is okay to strike out.
Think about times you see a young kid get up to bat and the ball is pitched. Swing, strike one! Swing, strike two! Swing, strike three! You're OUT! That slow walk back to the dugout, feeling very dejected for failing to hit the ball. Well, join the club. You are in great company with some of baseball's finest players.
From the years 1914 to 1935 Babe Ruth was able to rack up 714 home runs. He led the league in home runs for years. We hear that statistic many times when reffering to basball past. But, we don't often hear that in the same time period 'the Babe" also racked up 1,330 strike outs. He also led the league in this category as well. So, for almost every home run Babe Ruth hit and was able to run into the dugout with joy and statisfaction, he also walked back to the dugout 2 times knowing he couldn't even hit the ball. What does that tell us?
The answer is pretty clear. If you are trying to hit home runs, you are going to strike out. Just use the strike out as a lesson, to prepare you to hit the home run. Many times we let the strike out drag us down. That's wrong. The strike out is a step towards the home run. What things can I do differently next time? Also remember, the ball won't be pitched the same way, so maybe the swing that caused a strike today, might cause the home run tomorrow. These are all tought lessons to learn and apply. So, the biggest thing for me today, is to remind myself it is okay to strike out, just keep focusing on hitting the home runs.
Think about times you see a young kid get up to bat and the ball is pitched. Swing, strike one! Swing, strike two! Swing, strike three! You're OUT! That slow walk back to the dugout, feeling very dejected for failing to hit the ball. Well, join the club. You are in great company with some of baseball's finest players.
From the years 1914 to 1935 Babe Ruth was able to rack up 714 home runs. He led the league in home runs for years. We hear that statistic many times when reffering to basball past. But, we don't often hear that in the same time period 'the Babe" also racked up 1,330 strike outs. He also led the league in this category as well. So, for almost every home run Babe Ruth hit and was able to run into the dugout with joy and statisfaction, he also walked back to the dugout 2 times knowing he couldn't even hit the ball. What does that tell us?
The answer is pretty clear. If you are trying to hit home runs, you are going to strike out. Just use the strike out as a lesson, to prepare you to hit the home run. Many times we let the strike out drag us down. That's wrong. The strike out is a step towards the home run. What things can I do differently next time? Also remember, the ball won't be pitched the same way, so maybe the swing that caused a strike today, might cause the home run tomorrow. These are all tought lessons to learn and apply. So, the biggest thing for me today, is to remind myself it is okay to strike out, just keep focusing on hitting the home runs.
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