Baseball demands total commitment and courage to every moment. It demands its athletes to have the courage to compete even when success is impossible. In baseball, if you fail 7 out of 10 times, you are considered a good hitter.

Baseball demands the courage to try even when you know you might not succeed.

In the classic American novel written by Harper Lee titled To Kill a Mockingbird, the central hero Atticus Finch delivers an unforgettable line to his children that has always stuck with me.

“Courage is knowing you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”

You never know unless you try, but too often our minds are made up before we ever encounter the conflict.

“He throws too fast.”

“I’m 0 for 3. I have no chance this time up.”

We haven’t beat this team ever.”

Often, our mind can convince our body of success or failure before our body ever gives it a chance. And it is true that we might not succeed, but we never know unless we see it through till the end – unless we have the courage to commit ourselves fully to the moment and stick with it until it is over.

Baseball does not allow flip flopping. I was working with a kid last week who was using a wood bat during the first round of batting practice and then on his last round he switched to an aluminum bat because he wanted to hit the ball further or harder. He wasn’t fully committed that he was good enough to use the wood bat so he was flip flopping. I told him to have the courage to stick with the wood bat. Whether he had success or not, stick with it till the end because you never know unless you see it through till the end.

He ended up having success in the upcoming game with the wood bat. But whether he had success or not, the important part (as Atticus Finch taught his children) is to commit and see it though till the end.