The game of baseball seems to always have some life lessons for us. If you follow college baseball, you know my favorite team, Ole Miss, just won the 2022 NCAA College Baseball Championship (CWS). Not only did my beloved Rebels win, but I was able to attend the last four games in Omaha, Nebraska, with my brother Mike, son Brandon and his oldest son Davis. What a blessing and fun time.
As the playoffs began, the team captain, Tim Elko, was quoted as saying. “Don’t let the Rebs get hot.” That quote went viral and as the Rebels kept winning, it gained significance. The next thing I know, there are t-shirts everywhere and I saw plenty of them in Omaha as Rebel fans took over the city.
Winning breeds confidence and I think this quote got the fan base and the players believing early that this was a special year for the Rebels, who have fallen short of the CWS too many times. What appeared to be a lost year, a year of wasted talent, turned from a few weeks of mediocrity into an incredible performance and a championship season. The difference — belief and focus.
The same is true for you and me. We can pull out this year. We can have a championship year — the promotion, the raise, the big client success — if we believe in ourselves and our team. You know you are a unique talent, you know you can have a big impact. We need to believe in ourselves more and stop beating ourselves up when things don’t go our way.
The big opportunity here to enhance our belief and improve our winning percentage (our performance): FOCUS.
Just like the Rebs who put aside all the chatter and the personality issues to focus on playing great baseball together, we control our attention and what we allow to distract us. Focus separates mediocrity from excellence.
Focus is one of the most underused skills we have. When we are focused, we perform at a higher level, take less time and have greater impact. Small increments of focus can make huge differences in our year. 30 minutes at a time can be a difference-maker if it becomes a habit. Can you go 30 minutes or an hour without looking at your phone or being distracted from your highest priority?
Insert your name and think about the power of your T-shirt that reads: Don’t let ______ ________ get FOCUSED! Don’t worry, if you do, people will recognize your championship season! Focus wins.
