Dropping Out of School

Once you learn to properly frame “failure”, this game will get easier. Making an error isn’t failure. It’s baseball.

Dropping Out of School

Baseball is a very, very hard game…but it’s still a game! 

The only way to survive a sport where going 3 for 10 is considered successful is to have fun failing! Yes, you read that right.

How do we accomplish those two things (fun and failing) at the same time?
Simple (in theory, but really tough to execute). It’s all about how we frame “failure”. Here’s a couple examples of what I think failure is….

1. Dropping out of school.
2. Stealing from your parents.
3. Vandalizing your neighbor’s car.

Now let’s look at some things that you may have considered “failure” in the past…

1. Striking out.
2. Making an error.
3. Losing a game.

Compare those two lists. Is what happened to you on the field this past weekend REALLY failure? I bet it’s not, but that’s totally up to you.

Challenge yourself to have fun this week on the field, regardless of immediate results. Fly around. Get dirty. Play the game hard. Have FUN.

Once you learn to properly frame “failure”, this game will get easier. Making an error isn’t failure. It’s baseball. Learn from it and enjoy working to improve so you make that play the next time. Be obsessed.

Ken Spangenberg, Director of Baseball, Maplezone Sports Institute