Stop Waiting for Your Moment, Prepare for It

In college, I took a freshman under my wing. He had loads of potential, but he was still years away from his time to shine. He could absolutely crush a baseball, but defensively, the college game was moving too fast for him. Balls were hit harder, runners were quicker, and he was struggling to keep up.

Every day after practice, I stayed late to work with him. It wasn’t just about mechanics; he had the tools. The athleticism. The hand-eye coordination. What he lacked was belief. He still saw himself as a freshman, a guy who wasn’t ready.

I told him, "You belong here. Trust yourself. Stop waiting for your time, act like it's already here."

Most of the season, he barely played. He’d get an at-bat here and there but never any time in the field. Then, late in the season, everything changed.

Our starting second baseman went down with an injury. Suddenly, this kid was in the game, in a high-pressure moment of a conference matchup that would decide our tournament seeding.

Eighth inning. We were up by two. The opposing team has runners on second and third. A base hit ties the game.

Then, a rocket line drive up the middle.

Without hesitation, he took off. Full sprint. He laid out behind second base, made the diving stop, and popped up. Instead of rushing, instead of panicking, he stayed in control. Just like we talked about. Just like he had trained for. He fired a perfect throw to first and got the out.

We won by one run. That win locked us in as the #1 seed for the tournament. (We went on to win the whole thing, but that’s beside the point ??)

Here’s the real takeaway:

I never looked at him as a freshman. Leaders don’t see “rookies” or “newbies.” They see potential.

I didn’t know when his moment would come. But I knew it would. And when it did, he was ready—even if he didn’t realize it yet.

I've never met a top sales rep, a top engineer, or a top performer who didn’t believe they were the best. That belief isn’t arrogance, it’s earned. Through work. Through preparation. Through proving to yourself, day in and day out, that when your moment comes, you won’t fold.

So, ask yourself, are you waiting for your time? Or are you preparing for it?