The Hull house is knee deep in our first year of little league baseball and my son, Matthew, age 7, is all-in. Every chance he gets, we’re playing catch, hitting, fielding, running bases, and talking strategy. Our team has so far experienced some success, 4 wins and 1 loss. That loss came the other night. Some of the kids were very disappointed in losing, with one in tears, proclaiming, “I don’t like to lose!”
Losing is part of the game, just as it’s a part of life. Being an assistant coach for the team, I’m just as interested in building future leaders and developing life-long character traits as I am in helping to build good ball players. The taste of disappointment and defeat is a great teachable moment for the kids, which is why I love baseball so much! This reminds me of a saying I’ve discussed with Matthew and my daughter, Grace:
“In order to have, you must be.”
Nobody likes to lose but winning is not handed to you either. You can’t just expect to show up and win without effort.
In order to have success in baseball, you must be focused on:
- Working hard
- Being teachable
- Willing to practice on all areas of the game
- Sacrificing ‘screen-time’
- Encouraging teammates and setting a good example
- Having a positive attitude
This had me thinking of the many ways this mindset translates over to our financial lives:
In order to have a nice car, house, vacations, sufficient savings, early/comfortable retirement lifestyle, (insert your own financial need/desire here), you must be willing to:
- Work hard
- Save more and spend less
- Identify wants vs. needs
- Focus on your long term goals vs. short term desires
- Willing to plan for something that is potentially decades away
Success in any area of life: baseball, finances, personal relationships, etc., comes with putting in work and the understanding of the specific “In order to have, you must be” dynamic. I recently heard all-time great football player & coach Mike Singletary say,
“The only place you see success before work is in the dictionary.”