Election day: Winners win

Well, it’s election day in America. I stay away from politics on this baseball site but today’s post

adds a little to make a point.  After reading, I think you’ll see the connection to winning in baseball both as a player and a team.

From scandals and corruption to vulgar language and bad jokes, both major party candidates seem to have done more to prove that they should not be President.  Neither one made me angry because I just do not expect much from politicians.  It’s the average American voter that has me the most frustrated.

Listen to the voters (and commentators) interviewed on TV and you’d think the world will come to an end on Wednesday. I’ve actually seen people cry on TV in a desperate attempt to convince people to vote for a specific candidate.  Their claim is that the other candidate will destroy America and any chance people have of obtaining the American dream.

My own kids (8, 10, and 12 years old) got in on the pessimism too. During a recent car ride my kids heard one of the many political commercials.  My oldest said, “We are in big trouble if ___ is elected.”  What followed was a Dad Lecture to my captive audience.  I’m probably over 300 of them by now.   I think I’ll title this one “Winners win.”  A paraphrased version is as follows:

The candidates in our election are certainly not the best our country has to offer. But do you know how much impact they should have on your ability to succeed?  ZERO!  Candidates want you to think that a vote for them will mean prosperity and happiness and a vote for their opponent will mean horrible effects for you and the country.  Their basic message is “if you don’t vote for me, you cannot succeed.”  That’s baloney.

Do you know what all winners have in common?

They win!

It doesn’t matter if you are a baseball player, a dancer, a student, an entrepreneur,  or any other person looking to succeed at something. Winners don’t care who is in charge or what roadblocks are put in front of them.  They will win because they won’t stop until they do.  There are no roadblocks big enough for them to go through, go around, go over, or go under.  It may take more time but they will eventually do it.  That’s what makes them a winner.  Other people give up.  They win.

Too many people think that in order for them to win, other people have to change. They’ll say things like “I’d be so much better if my coach/ teacher / parent / boss was better.”  Those leaders can indeed help and may smooth out your path but they will NEVER prevent you from winning unless YOU let them.  If you think your success is dependent on external factors – anything outside of you – then you have already lost.

This is not to say people shouldn’t care about elections. Elections are important and if “we the people” are in charge then it is up to us to pay attention in order to keep our elected officials in line.  However, if you think that they are in charge of your future, you have fallen right into their trap.

Winners win because they take responsibility for everything that happens to them. If something goes bad, they fix it.  They don’t sit back and wait for their leaders to do something like create a new policy or law.  If their adjustment doesn’t work, they keep at it until they find something that works.  Then they move onto the next challenge and win at that too.

Take that attitude about success and there is nothing you can’t achieve. Follow the politicians’ messages and you will live a life of fear, doubt, and uncertainty.  And ultimately lose.

If I had seen my young kids’ faces as I was talking, I probably would have seen a few eye-rolls. But hey, I’m the Dad and that’s what dads are for.

Get off your butts and make it happen.