I played baseball until I was 18 years old. I taught and coached baseball for over twenty years after playing. Now, I watch it with great interest and high standards.
Baseball teaches so many life lessons and could just be the perfect game for learning so many life lessons. I have learned and experienced these life lessons in a very real way from several vantage points as noted above.
As I refer to baseball, you can substitute softball in every instance.
Life Lesson #1: You are going to fail at some point and that’s ok
The best hitters in baseball only get a hit every third at-bat. Every player will make an error at some point. Every pitcher will give up hits and runs. It’s a game full of failure.
Life can be full of failures as well. The key with failure is to learn and move forward. Sometimes you just keep trying. Sometimes you try a different approach. Failing doesn’t mean you are a failure.
I fail regularly in the business that I am doing today. I learn, adapt, and keep pressing on. I learned that approach in baseball!
Life Lesson #2: Life’s not fair, accept it and move on
In baseball, there are going to be bad calls. Umpires aren’t perfect. I have umpired, and I was not perfect. The key with bad calls is to quickly accept it and move forward. Too many players and coaches allow one bad call to negatively impact performance going forward.
Life will be full of “bad calls” and unfair circumstances. If you get caught up in overreacting to unfair situations, you are going to be miserable, and it will impact your future performance.
I have experienced my share of unfairness and have learned to accept and move forward. Complaining and feeling sorry for myself is a waste of time. I learned that approach from baseball.
Life Lesson #3: We need to learn to be good teammates
Only nine players are on the field at a time. Those players who are not in the game play a valuable role for their team. They encourage, see things that can help their team, stay ready to play when called upon, and often play a vital role in game preparation.
Connecting with others, working well with others, and elevating the performance of others in your work environment or service areas are vital attributes for all of us. Those attributes are critical for every organization to be successful!
I recall teaching young players the value of being a good teammate at every practice and during every game. Every player I coached would have the opportunity to start and play one complete game and be a sub in the following game. It didn’t matter how talented they were; everyone needed to learn both aspects of being a teammate – in the game and from the dugout.
My primary business focus is to develop leaders to build effective teams. There is increasing demand as many are recognizing that teambuilding is an intentional focus and is lacking in so many instances.
Life Lesson # 4: You have to finish what you start
There’s no clock for a baseball game. You have to get 27 outs (assuming 9 inning games). The game’s not over until the last out is made. I have experienced and witnessed some incredible comebacks.
Learning to never give up, never quit, and to finish what you start are keys for all of us to learn. Those lessons serve all of us well.
I can surely say that I learned perseverance from baseball.
Baseball just might be the perfect game for life lessons!
Doug equips leaders to make organizations better. He has two leadership books available on all online platforms. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build an authentic team, contact Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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