Don’t just be good. Be great.
A friend of mine was a minor league ball player in the 70’s. We always talk baseball, life and how baseball intersects with life. “There’s an old saying in baseball,” my friend said. “For every ten at-bats, 3 go to the ump, 3 go to the pitcher, 3 go to the hitter; what’s done with that tenth at-bat separates the really good players from the Hall of Famers.” Ted Williams was a very good hitter but the stories of his work ethic and drive to be better are legendary. “Ted made himself the great player he is today”, a sportswriter had written in 1949.
Batting .300 in life and career is pretty damn good but why stop there? Why not shoot for .330 or.340 or maybe make a run at the .400 mark? Drive yourself to greatness. In baseball lingo, spend more time in the cage, study pitchers’ habits, tinker with your stance, test new bats,
Do everything you can to own that tenth at-bat. If you do strike out, go down swinging and don’t get caught looking.