Dream Big!

Winners dream big. Winners are bigger than their problems. With losers the problems are bigger than they are. Winner thrive in spite of the obstacles in their way. Losers are blocked by the obstacles and then make lame excuses why they fail. Winners take responsibility when they fail. In the end the only person that can guarantee your success is YOU. This is why I am writing this section on dreaming big. When I was a kid I told everyone I was going to be a professional ball player. I see now I should have been a lot more specific. I should have said that I was going to play short stop for the St Louis Cardinals and be Ozzie Smith's replacement. Hit .330 over my career be a 10 time All Star and make 10 million a year. I say this because everything I have ever asked for in life I have received. And when I was specific about it I received exactly what I asked for. I never asked for any of those things specifically so I never received any of them. Here are some things I did say I wanted and had. I wanted to play college at Arizona State University. I did have a chance to go there, but I listed to people that I respected and when they said I wasn't that good, so I went to Junior College instead. Remember I blogged about going with your gut? Well I didn't on that one. Later I had a chance to go back there. I changed my mind and went to Cal State Northridge instead. This time I knew what I really wanted. When I saw CSUN play I said I want to go there. I ended up with a full ride. I asked and I received. I never said I wanted to get drafted. I assumed God could read my mind. Well that is not true because I didn't believe in God when I finished college baseball. I met God a year later and shared my desire to Him. I said I want to play professional baseball. I wasn't specific I just wanted to play. So a few months later I signed with the Palm Springs Promise and made $350 per month, but I was playing and getting paid like a professional. A year later I signed another contract with the Regina Cyclones. I found an old goal card from that year. My goal was to hit .350, 10 HR, 20 2B, 40 RBIs. I hit .324,6,5, 39. Not bad doing this with a broken hamate bone in my hand. A couple months after the season was over I went to here a millionaire from Amway speak. In a crowd of 400 people he asked if anyone had a goal card on them. 11 people raised their hands. He picked me to come up on stage and tell everyone about my goals. I did and was given a slap in the face wake up call. I wish I could remember his name but it alludes me. He looked at my goals and said, "Not Specific Enough." I was defensive and said I was achieving all my goals. He said then why are you here? He was right I wasn't where I wanted to be. So right there and then I said I wanted to be playing in a major league organization. A week later while trying out of the Chicago Cubs I professed, "Maybe The Chicago White Sox will sign me." Two weeks later they did and reported to single A in South Bend, Indiana. In 1997 I was focused and set my goal to hit .350, 10 HR 20, 2B, 50 RBI's. I set the bar higher because I had trained harder than ever and those goals just resonated with me. At the end of the season I was starting everyday at first or right field, because when the season started I was playing about 2 days a week. I hit .308. Was I disappointed that I missed my goal? Not really because I hit 12 home runs, 29 doubles, 64 rbi's and finished 9th in the league in hitting while appearing in 106 out of 140 games. 30 of those games I only got one at bat because I appeared as a pinch hitter in the late innings. Do you think I kept setting goals for the rest of my career? No, I thought I was on my way the the top and I stopped. Not one of the better choices I have made in my life.
Later on in my life I said I wanted a wife and described her specifically from the color of her hair, that she must be beautiful, funny and when I meet her I will not miss her. I met her and didn't miss her. We wed a year later. So ask and be specific. I did this with my second soon to be wife and it worked again.
Your dream must be bigger than any obstacle. Bigger than any injury or circumstance. Winner see obstacles as a challenge and look for solutions to overcome them. Winners are bigger than circumstances or problems. When winners dream big they look for ways to lift people up around them. Loser look to tear people down. Losers create strife and turmoil on a team. Winners build up those around them so that they will make the whole team better. When a winner dreams big it is not all about them. It is about the team as a whole it's about the world as a whole. Losers only care about themselves and what is in it for them. When a winner has a big dream it is always followed up with action. Extra ground balls and 1000's of swings, either live or soft toss or tee work. I've had plenty of kids over the years say they want to play college or pro baseball but their actions did not line up with what they said they wanted. So you can probably guess what happened. They didn't make it. You have to be dedicated and your intentions must be followed through with mass amounts of the right actions.
There are NO ACCIDENTS! I would bet my life on this. Nine out of ten people are quitters. You think that number is high? It's by design. In life 90% of the wealth is controlled my 10 % of the people. In baseball the numbers are even tougher. At one time I was told that only 1% of all high school baseball players make it to a division one school to play and only a 1/2% of all college players get a chance to play pro baseball. Then only a 1/2% of this group actually makes it to the major league level to appear in front of thousands of people and get the big pay check. Oh but if you happen to be one of the chosen then you can make and a lot of money. And yet if you look at the payroll break down most teams have the same breakdown, accept the Yankees. On a 25 man roster 2 to 3 guys are making all the money. Everyone else is getting paid well, but not A Rod money or Cliff Lee money.
Here is a good example of action, desire and sacrifice, Bryce Harper. Since he was about 12 he has been playing at the top club level, getting invited to camps and clinics. He probably played in well over 100 tournaments from 10 to 16 years of age. Every week I would here the kids come into my baseball academy and say, "Did you hear what Harper did?" Every tournament I just started asking, "What did Harper do?" Ron and Bryce were at my place (The Ballpark) at least 3 days a week hitting. Ron's arm was probably in as good as shape as any batting practice pitcher at the professional level. They both put in some hours. I can't remember ever giving Bryce a personal lesson, but Ron and I talked hitting a lot. Ron was smart. He asked a lot of questions. Maybe he passed this on to Bryce. Bryce has a lot of the principles and fundamentals of the swing I teach. Bryce is a mixture of natural talent and strength plus he just outworked everyone else. The results don't lie. He's bigger, faster, throws harder and hits the ball farther all of his competition. Baseball consumes his life. Did all that action and hard work pay off? I would say so. Did you see his contract and signing bonus? I had my hitting coach (Perry Husband) called me from Florida and ask me if he was my student. I told him I couldn't take credit for any of his swing. It was all natural or self taught. Bryce is a combination of hard work, dedication, and commitment to himself and his love for the game. I've heard people say he took drugs and other things. I'll be the first person to step in and say, " Not a chance,"
Do you think Bryce had a big dream? Do you think he laid in bed at night and had dreams about being the best player in the world? Do you think he dreams about ripping a fastball from C.C. Sabathia into the seats? I think he has always had and end goal in mind. Successful people always do. I know I planted seeds in his head. I know for a fact at 13 I told his dad he would need a good agent one day, a Scott Boras type of agent. I also told Ron that Bryce would be a 1st rounder. I just saw it in his abilities at a young age. He hit the ball harder than college kids at 14. Winners speak positive things into others lives. Losers speak poison that kills dreams.
In conclusion I challenge you to dream big. Make it fun and wild and specific. If you want anything in life the put that request out there and then follow it up with action.... The right action. If you want to meet a girl then you can not just sit at home in front of your computer and expect her to show up at your front door. Well unless you mail order her from Russia. If you want top be the best high school or little league player in your area then you will also need to put the play station controller down and actually go to the batting cage and hit a few 100 balls a week. Be specific! If you want to get drafted then what round? How much of a signing bonus do you want? What team? Do you want college included in the deal? How about a shoe and glove contract? Or maybe you don't have any desire to play professional baseball just go to college. So what school do you want to go to? Do you want a full scholarship? Be clear about what you want and take action towards your goals. You will be amazed on the results and then you will understand that there is a higher power in the universe out there that wants you to win too. Then give glory and honor where it is do.
If you want to adopt a winning world view them always look for the positive in any situation. Tell yourself you are bigger than any of your problems and look for solutions and don't make excuses. Winner are responsible for their lives and their outcomes. Losers are victims. It is never a losers fault always someone else. Winners take action. They say, "I'm going to get better and this is how!" Then they just do it NOW! Losers say, "I'll do it tomorrow." Tomorrow is always a day away. It has been said that if you help enough people get what they want you will get what you want. I believe this is on the top of my list of being a winner. I am never getting to the Majors as a player, I'm 40 years old. I do dream of having many many students that I have taught playing at the major league level one day. I dream of the best of the best seeking me out to train them in the off season. I dream of many batting titles for my students. I dream of them flying my all over to work with them when they are struggling and lavish gifts when they are at the top of the league leaders lists. I will receive a Lamborghini as a gift from one of my students one day. It will be yellow, very fast, leather interior.... you see where I'm going? Dream Big.