Today's MOSTLY TRUE STORY: Fear of Failure

F LoBuono

When I was a kid and then young man, I was a pretty damned good baseball player. Perhaps not great, but really solid. In fact, I was good enough that, in my junior year of high school, by my recollection, I was the only member of the team who played every inning of every game. And, I played it all of the time - during the school year and all summer long in various leagues.

I was not much of a power hitter but could run like hell. Speed was my game. So, I used it, and also being left-handed, to great advantage. Because I batted from the right side of the batters box, I could slap a ball into the hole between short and 3rd and beat the throw to first for an infield hit. Then, I was almost sure to steal second base. I loved doing it and dared pitchers to pick me off and catchers to throw me out - and, they almost never did (almost never, anyway!).

Being left-handed had its advantaged but some disadvantages, too. It limited me to pitcher, first base, and the outfield. As a young kid, I did them all. Later, in high school, I knew that I could never pitch. So, I concentrated on the others. And, I played them all almost flawlessly. I could run so well that I covered an enormous amount of territory when I played center field and, thanks to some great coaching, had solid footwork around first base.

And, I virtually never struck out. In 40 at-bats my junior year of high school, I only struck out twice. That's 0.8%. Modern day major league hitters K at the rate of 22.6%. So, I was WAY ahead in that department. I just hated to strikeout. The point of the game is to put the ball in play - and, that's exactly what I did.

There was just one problem: in those 40 at-bats, I only had 4 hits. That's an anemic .100 batting average. Major league hitters batted at .248 average for 2018. So, I sucked there. I wasn't stinging the ball. I was trying too hard to simply control it.

I had become obsessed with not striking out! So, instead of attacking the pitch, I became very defensive. I was making contact, but weakly. I eventually came to realize that my anemic average was the symptom of a larger issue than simply adjusting my swing. And, that was fear of failure. I came to take striking out almost personally. It's just you and that guy on the mound - and, if you can't even put the ball in play he has won -totally. I hated that. But, it also crippled me. That fear of failing made me defensive and indecisive. Therefore, it limited my real effectiveness and, ultimately, potential. 

Of course, there is a moral to the story, a lesson to be learned:

If the fear of failing becomes greater than the joy of outrageous fortune, we are doomed to a life of mere mediocrity masquerading as efficiency. Without the sting of failure, we can never know the joy of success. It is a life in balance.

Remember, failure is as much a part of life as is success. In fact, without the courage it takes TO fail, we would never even attempt to accomplish the great things mankind has achieved. The list of those who have overcome consistent failure to attain tremendous success is long, distinguished, and often surprising. But, one need not think of this just in terms of greatness. It can be applied to everything we do in life - just don't be afraid to strike out every once-in-a-while.