Jim’s Gems: The Difference Between Average and Great
With the current baseball season upon us there is an important lesson that we can learn. In professional baseball, most batters hit for an average of about .265, which means that they get one hit for approximately every four times at bat. The interesting thing is that a player who hits .300, three hits out of ten, is considered a star. By the end of a typical season, there are only about a dozen players out of hundreds in the major leagues who have maintained at least a .300 average. These are the players who get most of the publicity and the enormous contracts.
When you think about it, the difference between the average players and the great players is about one hit out of twenty tries! This slim margin of greatness in baseball symbolizes to me the dynamics of greatness in life. When we use just a tiny bit more of our potential, we can become truly outstanding achievers!
The primary purpose of being an outstanding achiever is not to win acclaim or glory, but to be more of what we can be. If you accept the idea that most of your present limitations are not based on any unchangeable reality but rather the result of beliefs you hold about your reality, then the next step is to deliberately and systematically change those beliefs.
It's called possibility thinking, and it's a skill you can learn without a lot of difficulty. It goes beyond having a positive outlook. When we believe our lives are significant and purposeful, and we are capable of outstanding personal growth, our future fills with possibilities. We are not thinking thoughts based on a model of scarcity or failure but of possibilities.
Ronald Regan said, “Every new day begins with possibility. It’s up to us to fill it with things that move us toward progress.” It is up to us to give that little bit of extra effort that will transform us from being average to becoming great. It is definitely up to us and well within our power.
