Ducks on the Pond

I realized something the other day, I think I've lost my competitive edge. That instinct when something challenges you and you have to find away through the challenge or accept defeat.

And to analagamatize, of course, I'll use baseball.

So often of late, I've been up to bat against a pitcher who has always given me trouble, each time with runners on base and me needing to come through. In my early years I swung for the fences, I was trying to knock in 7 runs even though it's impossible, and like most times when you swing for the fences, you miss. I wanted a quick solution, I wanted to win the game myself, I wanted to be the hero, instead I became the goat. Lately I haven't even been swinging, I've been going up there wanting to walk, not even trying to take the bat off my shoulder. I just didn't want it to be my responsibility.

My new outlook is to not win the game, it's a team effort and I have a lot of people rooting for me and willing to back me up. I'm going to play off what I'm thrown, I'm going to hit singles, take it the other way, and not try to do too much to it. Knocking in 1 is better then none. Moving up runners, keeping the game going, anything is better then trying to do the impossible and hurting the team. Of course, if I get that perfect pitch I'm still going to swing for the fence, but mainly I'm going to play pepper and just put the ball in play.

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Of course, this applies the same on defense as well. I'll be behind the plate but not even thinking how to get that batter out, instead I'm worried about the guy on first who doesn't even have a big lead, or is the tail runner, someone of no significance except they're the person I'm most worried about...but for no reason. Of course, I'll get cocky, throw over and launch the ball to right field where now they advance and they are a threat in the game.

Either way, I'm changing my focus to handling situations at hand within my means. I'm not going to try to do too much, and I'm not going to worry about things that aren't important yet. If the other team yells "he's going!" I'm not going to assume the runner is going unless it's from my team, or I see it myself. People tell one person something different then another, I just need to ignore that and focus on what I see and know.