Think of the times in your life when you faced what appeared to be impossible tasks and you felt as if it were you, alone, against the world. Now imagine that you are a professional baseball player and you, alone, are up to bat at the plate getting ready for the pitch. The ball coming at you is the challenge that you face.  Are you ready?  How do you react? Perhaps your first thought isn’t about the ball at all, but that it is a player vs player moment–pitcher against the batter. And, while there is some truth to that, the nature of baseball isn’t really that at all. Although the batter only gets 3 strikes before he is out, that is not where the real pressure is coming from. If he looks out across the baseball field, it isn’t the pitcher, alone that he is facing: there are 9 other opposing players playing defense to this one player on offense.  It really is nine against one if he even hits the ball at all. And, while 3 strikes and 4 balls and 9 players, playing defense, may still seem like pretty good odds, there is also a stadium filled with spectators, surrounding and starring at that batter, many of whom do not want the player up to bat to hit anything. The reality is, all those bystanders in the stands are anxiously awaiting the outcome of each pitch. Therefore, the pressure on the batter, up to bat, is more than the 9 on the field but it includes all the eyes in the stands, on the batter up to bat both friend and foe. Wait, there’s more. If all this wasn’t pressured enough, what if the game was being televised for local, national, or even international audiences? The more you think about it, there could be millions and millions of people with all eyes on the batter watching and waiting to see the results of one individual player's performance. Nine opponents, plus the people in the stands, plus all the viewers watching on TV–with that large number it would seem like incredible pressure to perform.  What goes through the mind of that batter will ultimately determine the outcome. His reaction to the pressure and the pitch may seem like a reflex reaction, but the truth is, if the batter has been preparing, that proactive preparation has happened long before that player takes the plate. This should serve as a reminder that the skills necessary to succeed at anything take preparation and practice long before the heat of the moment. At times the tasks we face in life, in the heat of the moment, may feel like it is you against the world and the numbers really aren’t in your favor. The odds seem stacked against you in this very competitive world. But just as there are great home run hitters, there are those that excel in all walks of life because they really aren’t alone, they just need a team behind them and the skills that will take them where they want to go and what they need to do to get there. You can embrace the times you are up to bat, even in the heat of the moment, by believing that success is possible by strengthening the skill set necessary to succeed. One key is to understand is that there are few pinch hitters who will do the heavy lifting for you. You must become your own designated hitter.  Learning to stand up, stand strong, and stand solo isn’t a punishment or a prison sentence, it is strength training.  Those moments may stretch you, test you, and push you, but these are the moments that will define you and refine you. These are the moments that will help you grow. 

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