RUN THE POINT: You Can Observe a Lot by Just Watching

You can observe a lot by just watching

"You can observe a lot by just watching," said Yogi Berra.
I saw a very interesting thing happen a couple of weeks ago while playing in a celebrity / charity softball game to help raise scholarship funds for the High School of Sport Management. The setting was the beautiful Keyspan Park in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, NY. I had a view of the famous Cyclone roller coaster on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on another. The perfect weather was icing on the cake.

The thought of such a great event being put on by high school students was pretty cool. I'm not talking about them just showing up the day of the event and simply working. Months of planning went into this thing. They put on the event from "soup to nuts." They secured sponsors, players, celebrities, handled the marketing, ticket sales, game day promotions and operations. Having a background in Sport Management I understood the depth of what was being put on that day.

At 1:00 p.m. the athletes would be hitting the field, pun intended, for a good cause. The talent ranged from, "I've never picked up a bat before in my life" to "I currently play for my college team," and everything in between. Something stood out as we were preparing for the game...no one wanted to play 3rd base. Let's take a quick review of how positions were selected. A coach was given the responsibility to arrange the batting order and field positions. The coach went around and asked, "What position do you want to play or usually play?" For some people who never or seldom play softball they knew they did not want to play the infield (Run the Point Lesson: It's just as important to know what you don't want as it is to know what you do want). After my coach for the day went through asking roughly 10 people what position they wanted to play he announced he needed someone to play 3rd base. As soon as he said that the atmosphere changed. It was as if we were back in school and the teacher asked for a volunteer to complete a math problem on the blackboard--everyone tried to avoid eye contact in hopes that they wouldn't be picked. Ok, enough finger pointing; time to talk about what was running through my mind when the coach made the announcement he was looking for a 3rd baseman. First, physiologically my heart started beating so fast and loud, I thought someone was going to tap me on the shoulder and say, "hey buddy do you mind keeping it down over there, I'm trying to get ready for a softball game." Mentally, I thought--3rd base is a hot corner (I could expect a lot of balls to be hit my way because most batters are right handed), I don't want to mess up and embarrass myself.

After a little bit of self talk, which sounded something like this: "someone needs to step up and you're the guy Bruny", "I like being in the hot corner, it's where the action is and where the opportunity is," "jump in, let's go (my motto for 2009)." After 30-45 seconds of processing my feelings of fear mixed with positive self talk I told the coach, "I'll do it!" (You could see the sigh of relief on his face).

What was the result of my decision to step up? As a 3rd baseman that day, I threw one person
out, and missed one ball that was hit my way. What were the intangible results? First, Peace of mind that I did not back down--let's face it, because of fear. Second, I got an opportunity to practice being in an unfamiliar situation and performing despite fear and doubting my ability.

It's time for you to play 3rd base in your life. Where are the "hot corners" you've been avoiding because you are...afraid, I mean unprepared, I mean not ready yet, I mean not smart enough, I mean--you get the picture. Here are 3 practical steps (Identify, Affirm, Attack) you can take to Identify and over come your fear of 3rd base:
1. Identify: Identify what you are actually afraid of (in the story above I was afraid of messing up in front of all the spectators and not being good enough to play 3rd base)

2. Affirm: Have a behavioral interview with yourself (behavioral interviews usually start with, "tell me about a time when you..." use the same format to think about times when you overcame difficult situations. Use that information as mental fuel to tell yourself, "I overcame obstacles before and I can do it again!"

3. Attack: Put yourself in a position where you have to say, "Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into? Oh well it's too late to turn back now." In other words, quit dipping your toe in the water, jump in and your body will adjust accordingly.

What if you don't get it right the first time? In the words of my college football coach, Mike Tracy, "everyday is another opportunity to get a little bit better." Take his words to heart. Now get out there and play ball.

Run the point!

Your Ambassador,
Mike Bruny, CPCC
Certified Life Coach, Speaker, Author
Run the Point Enterprises

Author of: "Move the Crowd: 30 Days of Hip Hop Affirmations To Change Your Life."