Living here in Arizona, we have the opportunity to see lots of spring training games for major league baseball. It's nicknamed the Cactus League and the season is just around the corner. I love baseball, and like a lot of kids, when I was growing up I played in little league. Now I need to be honest. I was not a very good player. I was fair at fielding, but pretty lousy when it game to batting. I tended to strike out a lot. And that is also how I saw myself, as a strikeout. As a result of that mindset, I improved very little. But one day at practice, the afternoon before a game, we got some new baseball bats. I found a black bat that just felt good to me. I can still see it today. It was a Number 28, Yogi Berra. I just knew I could hit with this bat. I believed I could. So, when it was my turn for batting practice that day, I hit the ball like I had never hit it before. My coach was really impressed. He finally announced, "Good job, Mike, you're starting the game tomorrow." Wow! Starting the game? Me? That had never happened before. Only the best players started the game. I was excited. I was thrilled. I couldn't wait for tomorrow's game. I wasn't going to strike out tomorrow. I finally had a good bat, the 28, Yogi Berra. I could hardly contain myself. But then, just before practice was over, one of the other kids on our team was using the 28, Yogi Berra bat. When he hit the ball, the bat broke. I couldn't believe it! I was shocked. I was stunned. What had just happened? How could this have happened? Suddenly all the excitement and anticipation for the upcoming game was gone. In a moment of time, I went from excitement and enthusiasm to dreading tomorrow's game. I went home after practice feeling pretty discouraged. I don't remember which bat I used the next day when it was my turn to bat during the game, but I do remember that I struck out, again. Do you know why I struck out again? At the time, I was convinced that it was because I did not have the 28, Yogi Berra bat. But that is not true. The reality was that I was not a very good hitter. The reason that I was not a very good hitter was that I had not developed myself to become a better hitter. I had not put in the time and effort needed to improve my batting skills. And while that new black bat may have given me a little more confidence, not having that bat was not the deciding factor in me striking out. Having good tools are important. I think we have all used inferior tools at one time or another and would certainly prefer to use the best tools that we can. But blaming the tools that we use when we lack the ability is not taking responsibility for our lives. You can have the best hammer on the market and still smash your thumb. Would that be the hammer's fault? I'll never know what would have happened if I had used that 28, Yogi Berra bat in the game. I might have even struck out again using that bat! What I did not realize back then was that it wasn't a good bat that I needed. I needed to put in the time, effort and energy to developing my skills. I'm sure Tiger Woods is very particular about the golf clubs he uses. But, if you're a golfer, do you think you could outplay him if he used your clubs and you used his? Got the point? If you are going to be successful in life, then you cannot blame other people, circumstances, or even the tools that you use. Instead, take responsibility for your life by developing the skills that you need.
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