As TOPS members, we have an axiom that goes, “you can’t let gaining carry over to the next day or week. You have got to flip the page.”
In my experience, just as in baseball, this is true at an even more basic level. Having three sons who played from T-ball on for quite a few years, there were lots of life lessons learned and applied! Pitchers must learn to forget the last pitch, fielders must shake off a dropped fly ball, and batters must let go of the last time at bat. They must learn to live in the moment. That swing, that pitch, and that catch that is occurring right now requires all of their attention. When the batter carries the memory of the ball he just swung at and missed into the pitch, it often results in another stike. He must learn from the experience of the previous ball and then…let it go!
Many of us have struggled for years with the concept of letting go. Do you carry the frustrations of an earlier experience in the day over to the rest of the day? Too often the day becomes a “bad day” because you are unable to turn the page and move forward. It is challenging to see things as they are–one experience among many experiences. Hopefully, you do not drag forward those frustrations and disappoints from years long past to where you find yourself now.
The fact is we are unable to change what has already occurred.
The good news is that it allows us the opportunity to approach the next experience with a clean slate.
The past is simply that, the past. It is this moment, right now, that will determine how the future will be!
Let’s encourage each other to learn from the present and then let it go! If you swing with all your might and hit the ball foul, rather than seeing it as a negative and allowing it to impact your next swing, see it as an opportunity to improve your stance and grip. One of my favorite stories comes from a day when Babe Ruth was at the height of his game but held the dubious distinction of having the most strikes in the league. He simply said, “Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” He had learned how to turn the page and let it go!
Today is a gift you give yourself. That is why it is called “the present”. Enjoy!
I Care, Barb
