What do you bring to your game?

"The difference between those who win and those who lose is mental. It is the effort winners give, and their mental alertness, that keeps them from making mental mistakes....Dedication and concentration are the deciding factors between who wins and who loses." - Tom Seaver, HOF pitcher.

Are you consistently dedicated? Do you maintain concentration, or does it wane, riding up and down on the day? Are you mentally alert on every call, every contact, every activity?

There is a difference in those who succeed and those who don't. What are you doing? What are you bringing to the call? Half the attention you should? Every single contact you make deserves the respect of your full attention. If you cannot or will not, your results will reflect the level of effort you put forth.

Reaction is not a response

"How can I hit and think at the same time?" Yogi Berra

True right? Not enough time for both. The hours of practice and your natural abilities come together to instinctually respond to the little white ball coming in at you at sometimes triple digit speeds.

When a customer or prospect makes some outlandish statement or asks a difficult question, we have more time to answer than a baseball player reacting to a 100 mph fastball.

Still, your preparation, training, product knowledge, practice and experience all come together instinctively to respond. This response is your wisdom, your value, your reason for being. This is why you have this job, why you are the one to communicate with clients and prospects. The ability to be witty, think quickly, answer honestly, project confidence and integrity, this is why you are successful. You do no react, you do not answer off the cuff, you do not fly by the seat of your pants but you use all your skills to proeject the response needed.

To assume or not to assume

"Just when you think you know baseball, you don't." Yogi Berra

Some people never learn. Some people don't want to learn. Some people don't care to learn. Some people think they know everything. And some people just wing it.

There are different viewpoints on the advanced preparation you should do with a client. Most will tell you to get as much information as you can, knowledge is power, be prepared, know all you are able to know about them, their business, their industry, their problems, their competition...so you appear as a resource and a subject matter expert. All to gain trust.

Is this the right way to approach a client?

Certainly Uncertainty

"There's a two-hopper to Eddie Leon, who catches it on the first bounce." Herb Score, broadcaster.

We all have those moments of uncertainty, where what we say does not quite match up, where we even contradict ourselves within our own words. Clarify, laugh, move on, you are only human. We make mistakes, we sometimes pay for them, but most times it is just not that important. Forget about it, brush it off, no one is paying that close attention. Feel fortunate if someone does realize your mistake, at least someone is listening.

Regret

"I wish I had started my slide earlier," Matt Holliday said.

If you saw it, you probably have an opinion. NLCS game 2 between the Giants and the Cardinals, Matt Holiday slid into second base, taking out second baseman Marco Scutaro in the process.

It was an aggressive slide to break up the double play. People are talking about retribution. Calling it a dirty play. Questions of judgement. What is the rule by the book? What is standard practice? All fair questions, a debate that can go on. One belief I do have is the regret is sincere, and Holliday is not a dirty player who was intentionally trying to hurt Scutaro.

But what about you in your life, your business practices, your calls, conversations, interactions? How often do you regret saying or doing? How often are you overly aggressive to where you regret your actions? If you say never....are you playing it safe? Maybe need to push the envelope just a bit? Obviousy it is a fine line to draw, but maybe, just maybe, expand that comfort zone a little. You may have a few more regrets, maybe not, but being aggressive can be just the ticket to take you to the next level. Non aggressive just does not get you very far.

"Keep your eye clear and hit 'em where they ain't." Wee Willie Keeler, Baltimore Orioles outfielder, 1898.

This statement comes from 114 years ago. Still as accurate as it ever was, baseball is a timeless sport that blends the centuries together. Watching the hard slide of Matt Holiday into Marco Scutaro in last night's NL Championship series, reminds you of just how little the game has changed. The rules, the players, the uniforms, the teams...allso very much the same as they were in the late 1800's. See ball, hit ball. Of course, 100 years ago there were no TV interviews where analysts and managers and "experts" debated endlessly on the legality and morality of Hollidays takeout slide. Instead, it probably would have been handled under the bleachers after the game, or the first pitch to Holliday in the next game. Somewhere around his ear I would imagine that ball would be directed.

As your day unfolds before you, as the twists and turns of the week or the month distract you, remember Wee Willie Keeler. See the ball, hit the ball. Hit 'em where they ain't.

Count Your Blessings

"The first thing I do in the morning is breathe on a mirror and hope it fogs up." Early Wynn, HOF Pitcher 1982.

Appreciate every day.

"If you don't live to get old, you die young."James "Cool Papa" Bell, 84 year HOF 1985.

We only have so much time here, don;t waste it on anger and hate, jealousy or spite, revenge or retribution. Justice is in living your life with joy.