“The tranquillity that comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think, or do. Only what you do.”
For a long time throughout my baseball career, I cared immensely what other people thought of me…
Of course, I played the game because I loved it and there is no doubt I had the utmost confidence in myself and my game… Yet, the opinions of others often weighed heavily on my mind and I spent much of my time, energy and effort focused on these opinions which were completely outside of my control.
After getting traded twice and then released, I found myself having a couple resurgent years in Arizona that completely revitalized my career… After signing a 3-year contract extension I showed up in 2008 ready to prove that I was worth every penny the Diamondbacks invested in me. While running sprints before spring training, I twinged my hamstring and then tried to play through it because I wanted to be on the field to show the organization, my teammates and the fans that I was more than willing to play through pain.
I cared so much about everybody else’s perception of me that I stopped caring about what I knew that I actually needed at that moment, REST.
It wasn’t enough for me to know my commitment to the team… I had to try to prove it to everybody else and it cost me a year of baseball when I eventually tore my hamstring off the bone.
The ironic thing is that I spent 12 months busting my ass (literally) to get back on the field and when I finally returned, the same people I tried so hard to please from the start, became disgruntled because of the time I missed and lack of instant success… A large number of them boo’d me to show their displeasure every chance they got.
We can have the right mentality and try to do all the right things and please all the right people, but ultimately, satisfying others is not within our control… People will never completely understand what we go through unless they have walked in our shoes and even if they do, that doesn’t mean they will ever understand our heart filled intentions.
Knowing this, we need to stop caring about what other people think (good or bad) and let go of all outside perceptions then focus on the only thing that ever matters…
Doing the right thing.
-EB
P.S. The Let Them Play: A Triathlon Across America documentary is finally here, and it’s the perfect film for a family movie night! Proceeds will not only benefit the Let Them Play foundation, but $1 from each sale goes directly to the COVID-19 Response Fund.
Visit LetThemPlayFilm.com or click the button below to watch now! 📽🍿
