Batter Up!

Good morning,

Happy Friday! I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how important it is to be willing to try and risk failure, if we ultimately want to succeed at anything great. Years ago someone pointed out a baseball analogy that stuck with me ever since.

The greatest hitters fail more often than they succeed.

Babe Ruth had a batting average of .342, so he only got a hit about a third of the times he went up to bat. Imagine if he’d been afraid to swing because he might miss; we wouldn’t be talking about him right now because he’d never have hit his 714 homeruns.

I was reminded of this recently when I came across an article in Smart Business Magazine by Michael Feuer, the guy who co-founded OfficeMax in 1988 and then sold it for $1.5 billion in 2003. Feuer’s article points out that, “It’s hard to get on base and ultimately score if an executive is unwilling to take appropriate and measured risks.”

If we limit ourselves to attempting only things at which we know we cannot fail, then our achievements will be limited – at best. Because, as Feuer puts it, “If you bat 1.000 in business, you’ll eventually strike out.”

Taking appropriate and measured risks requires confidence. “The confidence portion of the equation is not being afraid to be wrong, to admit it and to try again another day,” says Feuer. His complete article is available online here at Smart Business Magazine, along with numerous other insightful articles by the same author, in case you’re interested.

Let’s swing for the fences – and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” Babe Ruth

P.P.S. Thank you for visiting www.MySunnyNotes.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit www.JoinSunnyNotes.com.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
www.metromichigan.com