Making it to the top is not that same as making it at the top.
So many talk about hard work. They say you can’t get anywhere without putting in the effort. While this isn’t bad advice, it certainly has its limitations.
I remind young athletes that they are not working hard enough. They think they are working hard, but they haven’t seen what hard work looks like – unless they have been around the hardest workers at the top of their respective sport.
It’s one thing to share experiences or tell guys the importance of working hard. But to be able to show them what it actually looks like is the only way that a player will truly understand what it takes.
I didn’t realize what hard work looked like until I went to play baseball in college and worked out next to 21-year-old men, who picked things up and put them down in ways I never imagined could be done by a human being.
And this was being done by players on a team that only won 12 games the previous year…
Commitment
What have you been handed and what are you willing to earn?
Part of the commitment to hard work is knowing what you have to give up to do the work – learning how to control whatever is pulling you away from your mission.
The moment I stepped foot into that college weight room for the first time, was when I had to look myself in the mirror and ask, “What was I willing to do to earn a spot in this lineup?” I had grown accustomed to being comfortable – things coming easier to me than most of the players I grew up playing with and against.
The “work” I had put in had gotten me to this point, but it certainly wasn’t going to get me any further.
Was I going to be willing to push myself to levels I never knew I could get to? How bad did I want to play college baseball? Sometimes when you are in a situation where you only have two choices – start or quit – you find out how passionate you are about what you’re about to do.
Anyone can start something. Few can finish.
You Don’t Need Luck
The best competitors I’ve been around don’t rely on luck to get them to where they want to go. You will hear some players say they “got lucky.”
But here is the thing, you don’t need luck.
You need to know that you’re prepared and in control and you’re not relying on some random events, nor are you waiting for some mystical intervention to happen.
It doesn’t matter what is handed to you, it’s what you do after you receive it that allows you to reflect and proudly say that “I did this on my own.”
Moving Target
Have you ever struggled to get something that’s just out of your reach? You are about to touch it, but as soon as you touch it, it moves farther away?
Maybe it’s the first time you reach the big leagues, but then a week later you get sent down.
Maybe it’s the first time you get a start at 3B – go 3 for 4 – only to find yourself back on the bench for the next seven games.
Some people only give themselves one try at something and if they don’t succeed they move on to something else. This is a calling card of those who work in the Silicon Valley. But for most of us working outside of the billion dollar startup tech world, just because it doesn’t happen on the first go-around, doesn’t mean we quit.
Only when you’ve gone through these struggles can you be truly committed and understand the determination it takes to keep pursuing a target that never stops moving.
When Did Hard Work Become A Skill?
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth mentioning again – it doesn’t take any talent to work hard. Anyone can do it.
Show up, work hard and listen.
It takes a willingness to be dedicated, to improve, to be better. I don’t care if you’re a superstar, or the last guy on the bench, anyone can show up, work hard and listen.
I show up to work with hitters every day, and I expect the same from them. In my 17 years of coaching, I’ve only had a handful of players who I have had to send home because they were not committed to their career on that particular day – thus not respecting their time and effort as well as mine.
Show me you care about your career, and I’ll care about yours as well.
When you’re committed to your WHY and your career, you never hide. Being a professional requires that you show up ready to work, face adversity and those who judge you, and perform at your top level when everyone is expecting you to fail.
If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it.
Love,
KW
For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.
He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!
Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com