The key to success is not just being your best, but being the best version of yourself at that moment. If someone gave you the choice of being good, being better or being your best, what would you choose? Most people would choose being their best. And that’s a mistake nearly everybody in the world makes.
The reality is that you already outperformed things previously that you would have deemed “your best.” How many times have you said that you tried your best, but in reality when you looked inside yourself you knew that there was something that was better?
Focus not just on doing your best, but continually focus on doing better.
And that’s where continual improvements come from. Or as my good friend Joe Ferraro says on his podcast, “getting 1% Better every day.”
The road less traveled brings its fair share of opportunities to fail, to doubt ourselves, to say to yourself “damn this is messy, is it ever going to get better?” This is the moment when we realize we are going to need the help and support of those closest to us in order to accomplish our goals.
It Takes A Village
Early in our journey, we realize that we can’t do this alone. You’ve heard the phrase, “it takes a village” but do we truly understand the importance of the people we surround ourselves with? There is power in numbers, but it’s imperative that we surround ourselves with people who we can trust.
Think about your career as a bus. It’s not the big charter bus of today with WiFi, power outlets and HD televisions. It’s more like the little yellow school bus that only seats ten.
And you’re the driver of the bus.
At the beginning, the bus is clean and empty. Your vision is being played out through the large windshield in front of you. You will have the urge to take the bus out of park and start driving – even if you don’t have a clear plan in place of where you’re going. But you’ll look back in the rearview mirror, notice the empty seats and ask yourself – what kind of person do I want to occupy those seats?
One mistake most people make when embarking on their journey, is they start driving the bus without any of the seats filled, thinking they can just drive and pick up people along the way.
A big part of your vision requires PURPOSE and WHY, which leads you to a plan.
And a vision without a plan is just a dream.
So before you even start the engine, be thoughtful and deliberate about who you invite on the bus. Think of your bus as your house. You rarely invite someone into your house that you don’t trust. So as you think about who to invite, take careful consideration of the type of person you let into your life.
The easy part is finding people who can help you in many areas of your life’s journey. The hard part is finding out which seat you should put them in before driving away.
Quality Over Quantity
It’s not about how many people you can fit on the bus but the quality of those people. Each seat represents different areas of your life that you will need guidance and mentorship from.
For example, you may need help with your nutrition, so you bring someone on board who has experience in that area and place them in their assigned seat. You may need help spiritually, so you bring someone on board who can help you in that regard and place them in their assigned seat. You may need a private hitting coach to help you with your game, so you assign that person a seat. And so on and so forth.
You are in complete control over who you bring on the bus and which seat they are in.
Think about these seats as a ring of insulation around your career. Only the best are allowed on your bus because these are the people you will lean on the most to get you where you want to go. These seats are filled with people you trust, who you are close with, who you can be yourself around, who can give you honest feedback that comes from love and not just what you want to hear. They are with you through the good times and the bad and they are grateful to have a seat on your bus. They embrace the role they have been given by you.
Who are the people that will fill your seats?
Create your circle of trust today.
Love,
KW
For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.
He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!
Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com