By Garrett Wolforth –
As you may know, we take our mindset presentations very seriously at The Ranch, and each of the coaches has a couple of favorite videos they return to often. In many of my mindset presentations, I try to reinforce the hard work necessary for our athletes to reach their goals. More often than not, the work they are avoiding is the work they truly need to be doing. Prioritizing the things that give us the greatest return on our training time will always be a staple of The Ranch.
Chris Williamson is one of my favorite podcasters and someone I routinely share with our athletes. In one of his videos, he discusses a concept he took from the essay The Strangest Loop. It reads as follows:
“Things that aren’t doing the thing: Preparing to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Scheduling time to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Making a to-do list for the thing isn’t doing the thing. Telling people you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Messaging friends who may or may not be doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. Writing a banger tweet about how you’re going to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Hating on yourself for not doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. Hating on other people who have done the thing isn’t doing the thing. Hating on the obstacles in the way of doing the thing isn’t doing the thing. Fantasizing about all of the adoration you’ll receive once you do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading about how to do the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading about how other people did the thing isn’t doing the thing. Reading this essay isn’t doing the thing. The only thing that is doing the thing is doing the thing.”
This speaks directly to what many of our athletes are missing during their training. “The thing” is the big obstacle holding them back or the movement pattern preventing them from developing a healthy, durable arm. It is the root cause of their issues, and many times, people try to skate around it and instead deal with the periphery, allowing them to make only minor changes. Many athletes need to make significant changes to their process in order to accomplish the results they are looking for. If they simply talk, plan, or think about the changes that need to be made, they have accomplished nothing without action. The action that follows the talking, planning, and thinking is the necessary step toward success.
It will take a lot of work to accomplish our goals. It will take a lot of sacrifice to reach the pinnacle of success. While a great plan can be a phenomenal start, the actions that follow are what truly make the difference. So remember: instead of talking, thinking, and planning about the thing, jump right in and do the thing that will help you close the gap between who you are today and the person you wish to become.
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Important TBR Updates
- TBR’s Fall and Winter Classes are open! Classes are held Monday & Wednesday and will run from September through January. Spots are limited. Email Info@TexasBaseballRanch.com or call our office at (936) 588-6762 to register or if you have any questions.
- Join us for one of our 2026 Elite Pitchers Boot Camps!
July 31-August 2 (Fri-Sun) Sold Out – Call to be placed on waitlist
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October 10-12 (Sat-Mon)
November 21-23 (Sat-Mon)
December 28-30 (Mon-Wed)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Have you been considering attending one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp but are still on the fence? To help, we have a detailed information package entitled “What Makes This Boot Camp Different”. If you’d like to receive this package and start making plans for the summer, email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a copy.
- Attention Catchers! Our annual Elite Catcher’s Boot Camp will be held December 11th – 13th. Registration is opening soon. Email info@TexasBaseballRanch.com to be added to the Priority Notification List.
- Our annual Youth Camp (for players ages 8-12) will be October 3 & 4. Registration now open. CLICK HERE to learn more and register. Limited to only 24 players. Make your plans now.
