Playing in the Big League is Hard Work!

This has been a very exciting, challenging and anxiety producing Spring and Summer for my family. My son had an American Dream come true. He was drafted in the 11th round by the CincinnatiReds and became a professional baseball player.

But when dreams come true, you suddenly realize that that dream is not an end, but another beginning.

I hope you are all dreaming big and that you are at the same time preparing yourself to take on the new challenges that come when your big dream comes true.

I want to share two lessons I learned from my son’s experience. 

My son has been defined by his athleticism since he was two years old. Because he was also extremely bright, his parent’s (me and my husband) “forced” him to go to Yale when he was accepted there. (He wanted to go to a school that focused more on sports.) We told him that if he worked to be as good as he could be, the pros would find him. Turns out we were right. I’m not sharing this with you to brag. (Even though I am extremely proud of him) I share this with you because this experience taught me two big lessons:

One: It’s important to stay focused on our dreams and goals and not worry about trying to control and second guess the outcome.

Two: Once you go through all of the challenges and hard work to reach a lofty goal, a newer and larger goal with bigger and harder challenges presents itself.

Playing in the big leagues can be overwhelming.  The bigger the game we play, the more skills both mental and technical we need to add to our tool box.

My son now has to prove himself in the Rookie league (where he is now in Montana) so that he can move up to make an “A “team, then to a “AA” team, then a “AAA” team and then, if he proves himself worthy and talented enough, he might be “called up” to the major leagues.

As business professionals, we also set goals and work hard to achieve them. And every time we reach a goal, we realize that there is more hard work and different challenges ahead of us. Each time we reach one level, we have to continually prove to ourselves and to others that we belong there.

Part of the work I do with my executive coaching and group and individual training is to help business professionals polish and elevate their communication skills so that they can succeed in a new position or to gain a new position or opportunity. I also continually work on my own skills, by hiring coaches, taking classes and getting support,so that I am ready to meet new challenges and achieve bigger dreams.

I hope my son has the mental and physical stamina to take on the new challenges that are now in front of him. And I especially hope that he reaches out for and gets the support he needs to accomplish that.