FAILURE.
- whatshesaid2020
- Jan 29, 2021
- 2 min read
There is something very personal and intimate I am going to reveal to you today. Something that I discovered in childhood that has followed me into adulthood. Something that my father taught me as well as my six siblings. It is what you would call "America's Pastime."
I LOVE BASEBALL!
I love the crack of the bat. I love the roar of the crowd. I love the enormity of the stadium; especially at Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City with the colors that form in the sky at sunset against the backdrop of the fountains. I love hot dogs and Coca-Cola. Boiled peanuts and Brats. I LOVE the Kansas City Royals, but root for the Chicago Cubs (my son's favorite) and Milwaukee Brewers (my work location team).
Last week baseball lost a GOAT -- Henry Louis Aaron or Hank Aaron.
Hammerin' Hank or Hammer as he was so affectionately called, was an icon in Milwaukee whose bronze statue is on display at Miller Park for all to photograph with. Hank Aaron was a man who overcame adversity to do what he loved most for 23 seasons. PLAY BALL!
In true Facebook fashion, someone posted a saying from Hank Aaron that really resonated with me. He stated, "Failure is part of success." (Hank Aaron).
It sounds like an oxymoron or polar opposites - Failure vs. Success - yet many great leaders have not achieved greatness except without failures. It is not without taking risks that they have discovered their failures, mistakes, and successes.
Kouzes & Posner writes in Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge, "It is absolutely essential to take risks. Over and over again, people in our study tell us how important mistakes and failure have been to their success. Without those experiences, they would have been unable to achieve their aspirations" (Kindle, 2004, Location 893).
Hammerin' Hank never gave up and risked everything within himself to do what he loved. What risk have you taken or not taken for fear of failure? We never go into leadership roles and organizational management with our first thought being about failure, but how do we react when it happens?
Giving up and walking off the field is easy. Staying in the game is harder, but the reward is greater!
Develop a love for the game and play ball like your life depends on it!
What She Said ~ Beverly
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