When I was in my final season of baseball in high school, I took a few trips down to University Of Southern California to learn from a very famous pitching coach named Tom House.
What made Tom House definitely wasn't his baseball career as a MLB pitcher, but rather the fact that he was the pitching coach of the most famous pitcher of all time. Nolan Ryan.
On a hot sunny day and after about 60-70 pitches in a bullpen, Tom looked at me and said words that I would never forget.
"Evan. 10% of the time you are going to be amazing, 10% of the time you are going to suck worse than imaginable, and 80% of the time you are going to be just average.
Champions are made in that 80%."
80% of the days you have you are going to feel average. That's right. Average. Nothing great about the day. Nothing crappy about the day. Just "meh."
Now that may seem like a nasty realization about life, but there's a secret to all of this.
You are 100% in control of how your day goes from that first moment you wake up. Yes, you may wake up feeling average, but you get to choose whether you go up or down in the day.
The choice is completely yours and lives entirely within the intention you set for that day. You must be willing to do the work, especially the hard work, and move forward in your life especially when you aren't feeling like you can play the game well that day.
They are made in those early mornings, those late evenings, and throughout the day as your are working hard when no one else is watching you.
Most of those hours you spend working your tail off on something will never be seen by anyone.
But that's not the point. The point is this...
You know...
You know how much you put into something and what it really takes to get to where you want to go. If you know that, and you are willing to dedicate the time and make sacrifices, you can do anything with those 80% days and take advantage of what this life has to offer.
I think that making it to the end of the road in life and knowing that you gave it your all would lead to a lot of very big smiles in your final moments.
And I'll be damned if I let the latter option happen in my life.
So create an intention for yourself. Make a request to yourself that you are going to level up and make this year the best year of your life.
What made Tom House definitely wasn't his baseball career as a MLB pitcher, but rather the fact that he was the pitching coach of the most famous pitcher of all time. Nolan Ryan.
On a hot sunny day and after about 60-70 pitches in a bullpen, Tom looked at me and said words that I would never forget.
"Evan. 10% of the time you are going to be amazing, 10% of the time you are going to suck worse than imaginable, and 80% of the time you are going to be just average.
Champions are made in that 80%."
80% of the days you have you are going to feel average. That's right. Average. Nothing great about the day. Nothing crappy about the day. Just "meh."
Now that may seem like a nasty realization about life, but there's a secret to all of this.
You are 100% in control of how your day goes from that first moment you wake up. Yes, you may wake up feeling average, but you get to choose whether you go up or down in the day.
The choice is completely yours and lives entirely within the intention you set for that day. You must be willing to do the work, especially the hard work, and move forward in your life especially when you aren't feeling like you can play the game well that day.
They are made in those early mornings, those late evenings, and throughout the day as your are working hard when no one else is watching you.
Most of those hours you spend working your tail off on something will never be seen by anyone.
But that's not the point. The point is this...
You know...
You know how much you put into something and what it really takes to get to where you want to go. If you know that, and you are willing to dedicate the time and make sacrifices, you can do anything with those 80% days and take advantage of what this life has to offer.
I think that making it to the end of the road in life and knowing that you gave it your all would lead to a lot of very big smiles in your final moments.
And I'll be damned if I let the latter option happen in my life.
So create an intention for yourself. Make a request to yourself that you are going to level up and make this year the best year of your life.
About the Author:
Evan Sanders is a professional life coach at AYKME coaching. Dive into the meaning of integrity by clicking here or read more quotes about changing for life.
