By Coach Jonathan Massey-
There’s an old fisherman’s tale that says:
“If there are two lobsters trapped in a cage and one of them tries to escape, the lobster that is still trapped will pull the escaping lobster back into the cage.”
I’m not sure how true this fable is, but I think it’s a perfect metaphor for life. People have zero problem with you working hard as long as you are not working harder than they are. People have zero problem with you working hard as long as you are not doing things differently than they are.
When you start to work harder than your peers or do things differently (Heaven forbid you do both), it makes them feel uncomfortable, and people really hate that feeling. So instead of applauding you for your dedication or innovation, they try to make you come back to their level… Or pull you back into the cage.
This comes in many different forms and I’ve experienced most of them. When I was at Lon Morris I was consistently ridiculed and mocked for showing up early and/or staying late and for doing things differently. They would even take my stuff and hide it or toss it across the bullpen area. About anything you can think of, they would do to try to get under my skin.
I always took solace in this little lobster fable when they would try to push my buttons as it was more of an indication of them being uncomfortable with me out working them. So if you are currently experiencing this, I hope that you take comfort in the fact that you are making them feel uncomfortable. They are simply trying to pull you back down to their level.
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At the Texas Baseball Ranch® our motto is “A Place Where You Can Dream as Big as Your Work Ethic Will Allow.” At the Texas Baseball Ranch you are surrounded by people that want to help you excel and move onto the next level; and then celebrate with you when it occurs. If that sounds like the type of people you or your athlete would benefit from being around, we encourage you to register for an upcoming Elite Pitchers Bootcamp and join us at The Ranch for a very special weekend. To learn more or to register, go to https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/epbc/
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ATTENTION Ranch Alumni – Our Alumni camp date has been set for January 12th & 13th. This is the perfect pre-season event to sharpen your skills. At this 2-day event you will taking part our advanced level of training and work with our Power Core 360 bands, the V-Flex command training and our bran new FlightScope. You can register at http://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/alumni-pitchers-bootcamp/
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