By Samantha Parrish-
Being exceptional is hard work. Training takes focus, energy, time, and discipline. Plus, you have to be willing to do that most of the days of the week.
In times of exhaustion or frustration, we tend to think (or say) things like:
- I wish I didn’t have this training schedule.
- I wish I could go out when I wanted.
- I have practice every day, why can I not skip practice occasionally?
- I’m tired. Missing another day this week isn’t that big of a deal.
We focus on in the moment sacrifices we are making to train. In actuality, the discipline to train does give us freedoms. Some of these freedoms happen quicker than others, but it helps to remember- we are not just training for tomorrow, we are building ourselves for all future battles.
Consider the following examples of freedoms received:
- The player that stays disciplined in training all aspects of his game may have the freedom to play another position when not starting at their main specialty.
- The player that trains more diligently might have the freedom to choose which college he plays for.
- The hitter that diligently trains to be a switch hitter has the freedom to choose what side he bats from.
- The pitcher that puts in the extra time on his secondary pitches has the freedom of a more complex arsenal. This certainly gives some relief to him when one of his pitches is ‘off’ on any given day.
- The catcher that studies the game might enjoy the freedoms of calling the pitches when he’s behind the plate.
Let me give you an example not baseball related. I have a friend that runs marathons; she trains to run long distances almost daily. She has the freedom to wake up and decide between running 5 miles or 10. Because I have not trained for such distances, I do not have that freedom. To be honest, 10 miles might actually kill me! I can get up and run, sure, but not for the time or distance that she can.
There are times during the ‘grind’ that we need a perspective shift. During this day and age, it seems we are being told more and more to “do what makes us happy” or “live in the moment”. Be careful to not allow yourself to get sucked in to that often. While those are not bad mantras, they are certainly not conducive to building greatness. As financial advisor Dave Ramsey says, “Live like no one else now so later you can live like no one else.” I think we would all agree that an MLB player’s salary can afford them many freedoms. Sometimes we focus on wanting what they have while glazing over what it took for them to get there, and the work it still takes to stay there.
Instead of grumbling about the demands that come along with building your craft, focus on the freedoms that you are generating for yourself later.
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Players that train at The Texas Baseball Ranch® have the concept of discipline reinforced on a daily basis. We have helped thousands of young men create and implement training regimens that work specifically for them. Will you be next? Come join us this summer for 3-Days or several weeks…
Our 2018 Summer Elite Pitchers’ Boot Camp dates have been set.
Learn more about these exciting, information packed 3-Day events at
http://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/elite-pitchers-boot-camps/
OR
If you’d like to spend more time with us this summer, check out our Extended Stay Summer Intensive Program.
http://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/tbr-summer-program/
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