6 lessons I learned from playing softball that have made me successful in my career

(1) Allyship is important to your success.

I was 10 years old when I started playing fast pitch softball. I had played slow pitch for a few years prior to this point, but fast pitch is where I started to blossom as a player. Growing up, my family lived in lower income housing. There was a girl around my age that lived next door that I would often play catch with after school. Our game of catch would end once her coach would arrive to pick her up for practice. When she would leave, I would often throw the ball against our brick building and scoop it up when it ricocheted back at me. (If you ever watched me play 3rd base, you probably noticed my quick hands. This skill was developed from standing at a close distance to the wall and throwing it as hard as I possibly could, then make an attempt to stop it when it came back towards me at a high speed) So, what does this story have to do with ally ship? Well, one day while I was outside playing catch with the wall, the coach that would pick up my next door neighbor, asked if I wanted to go. If that moment had never happened, who knows where I would be today.

(2) To learn new skills, sometimes you need to get a little creative.

At 11 years old, I could do a “pop up” slide. I learned this skill by jumping on my bed and falling with one leg bent behind my straight leg then using that bottom leg to propel me back up off the bed. This was prior to YouTube, so I came up with a creative way to learn how to bounce back up off the bed into the standing position. The same applies to how that brick wall taught me how to stop a ball hit hard off the bat to the hot corner, and how learning to swing from the left side gave me a few steps advantage to first base. When we get creative, we can uncover new ways to tackle a problem.

(3) Teamwork makes the dream work.

In my first year of playing fast pitch softball, my team won very few games. But, we practiced and got better. In the years following, we became one of the best teams in the state of Texas. I remember playing in a state tournament with over 50 teams and losing the first game in the double elimination tourney. We battled back to win the state championship. Many of my most memorable softball stories are with that same group of girls. From little league to high school, we helped each other to develop in to the best players we could be. Most of us then went on to play college softball. This was our dream and we made it happen. There is a plaque on the side of a building in our hometown that has our names on it for being the first Class A fast pitch softball team to come out of the city of Texarkana. When you work, move, and align your goals as a team - anything is possible.

(4) Servant leadership is important in instilling trust and contributing to the growth of those following you.

I attribute much of my leadership style to the examples I had growing up. In retrospect, I realize that the coaches I had during my journey used softball as a tool to teach me skills that I would need throughout life. Skills like: leading by example, winning isn’t everything (it’s the only thing..jk), working hard leads to great results, the journey is just as important as the destination, we win and lose as a team, and so many more...

(5) Visualization can improve your performance.

As an athlete, they always tell you to visualize the outcome. I would spend hours visualizing myself fielding a ground ball, turning a double play, or planting a bunt right down the line. You do this so that when put in a situation, it’s almost second nature. You are able to react quicker, because you have prepared and planned for this very moment. I often take this approach when preparing for a presentation or thinking through all the potential situations that could arise. Visualization is mental preparation. It’s a trait that I would highly recommend developing for anyone that struggles with thinking on their feet.

(6) Bet on yourself.

My high school coach used to say, “With 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th..down by one with bases loaded, you should want to be the one up to bat.” I was probably put in that situation dozens of times throughout my career and probably won the battle only a handful of those times. But..with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th with the winning run on 3rd, I still want to be in that batters box. That type of confidence has helped me to succeed in so many situations in my career.