New Opportunities Every Day

10 Shares

With MLB season openers happening across America I found it only fitting that the quote this week reference baseball. There are so many great ones, that it was hard to narrow it down so don’t be surprised if baseball quotes pop up all season long. There is so much truth in this quote, not only as it relates to baseball but in our professional and personal lives as well. We each have new opportunities every day. It is what we do with these opportunities that matter. As Feller points out, we can’t rest on our laurels any more than we can dwell on our failures. If we do, we get stuck.

Resting on our Laurels

Each MLB team plays 162 games. If a team focuses only on their last win, they aren’t likely to have a very succesful season. We can’t just look back at our past successes, we have to build upon them. If we are only looking back at our past successes then we aren’t focusing on new opportunities. We become stagnant. Growth stalls until we come to a complete stop. If we are looking back, we fail to see what lies ahead, not only missing opportunities but also potential dangers. It is in looking forward that we are we not only see opportunities ahead, but we also have the ability to take advantage of them. Put your successes on the wall or mantel and shift your focus to the next opportunity.

Dwelling on our Failures

If you spend any amount of time watching baseball, you can immediately recognize when a pitcher begins focusing on his failures. Strike outs decrease, walks increase, and when a power hitter comes to the plate you can see the confidence melt away. They are so focused on the walks that they have trouble envisioning the ability to strike out the power hitter. When we focus on our failures, opportunities elude us as well. Instead of dwelling on the failings, we need to instead use it as a learning opportunity before moving forward with a new opportunity.