Well, it happened... Dreams Do Come True

I am sharing this article with the encouragement of those on my private email newsletter list. I often share my stories in articles that I publish, but this one is really personal. So, here goes...

In less than 23 days, the first games of the 2023 Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA will begin. (It's from August 16-27, 2023.) If you've ever visited during the games, you know what a magical place it can be. This article is about dreams... it's about wants... it's about desires.

?? What are?your current goals and aspirations??

• Is your head ?? still communicating with your heart ???
• Do you let your head talk you out of your heart's desires?

For the past 20 years, I have been a volunteer Little League baseball umpire.?If you've been to one of my presentations, keynotes, or workshops, you've probably heard me talk about it. And, yes, you did read that correctly; I have?volunteered?for those 20 years. Yep, never taken a dime to:

• umpire in the 113° heat index here in Texas ???(My shoes even melted apart one weekend on artificial turf.)
• get cussed out ???by parents and grandparents for?"ruining a 12-year-old's dreams."
• be?yelled at?from the stands that?"a woman doesn't belong on?the baseball field."
• watch a 10-year-old disrespect ?? me by throwing his equipment at my feet (and saying?very?inappropriate words)
• have people attribute my success to the preferential treatment of my gender (in a male-dominated field)

This is only a short list of what I?volunteered?to go through to achieve a dream.?

And, it was sooo worth it!!

Many times, as I was passed over year after year and asked to requalify twice after getting my recommendation to the Little League World Series in 2014, I could've given up. Just?as in your life, I encountered roadblocks, challenges, and obstacles along the way.?It's all part of?what made this journey so sweet.

So, this was the year I got the call (or, more accurately, the snail mail) that congratulated me for being selected as one of the 20 umpires headed to "the show." I'm writing today to share this with you - not as a "look at what I've done," but more of a "look at what YOU can do."

My philosophy:

Everything in life happens FOR you, not TO you.

My friend, what are some of those dreams and goals that you've had or still have in your life??What experiences?will make your heart sing??I hear so many folks talk about "if only..."??If only I'd have started sooner... If only I were 10 years younger... If only it were easier.

Those are just stories that your mind is creating to keep you comfortable.

Success is on the other side of DIScomfort.

It's the challenge that keeps you GROWING. Don't pray for?sooner,?younger,?and?easier;?pray?that you get stronger, wiser, and better. That's what LIVING is all about.??

I often hear the excuses?my clients and students make...?"well, it might work for them, but it won't work for me."

In my case, only 7 women have made it to Williamsport to umpire in 76 years. The chances?were really slim that I could ever be one of them.

“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” - Seneca

People (including maybe even your own brain)?will?try to tell you that the price is too great or not worth it.?That may be true in some cases.?What's funny is that for most people,?the price you imagine paying is much greater than what you?actually?have to pay. So, you quit before you start. Many umpires who were/are better than me, stronger than me, smarter than me have given up on their quest to get to Williamsport, PA. That's disheartening.

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Now, many of my friends here on LinkedIn have asked...?"When will you be on TV?" "Do you know what games you have?" "How can I help or support you?"?Well, if you are one of those folks...

1. ?? We will not be assigned to games until we get to Williamsport. The World Series starts on August 16th?and runs through August 27th. You can catch all of the games on ESPN and ABC.
2. ?Once I find out what games I am assigned, I will be posting them on social media -?primarily Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/traciduez ) and LinkedIn (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/traciduez )
3. ?? If you'd like, you can receive personal (meaning NOT a group text that can get annoying)?text notifications ?from me by texting LLWS to 713-933-2131

While I may have been through a lot to get here. I truly wouldn't change a thing!

• I am proud to be the 8th female ever to umpire at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.
• I am proud to have met the hundreds of fellow umpires, parents, fans, coaches, administrators, and athletes along the way who have believed in me.
• And, folks like you, who have allowed me to share my dream with you and speak about how it has helped me to?show up and grow up in the way that I want to?be?in this world, I say a deeply heartfelt THANK YOU.

You are all a part of this journey, and I truly appreciate you.

Dreams do come true & yours can too!?

DREAM BIG!

P.S. How can you help??(OK, this is a challenge for me, but many folks have asked about supporting me, so here goes...)?A great deal of time, energy, and money has been invested in my journey. In August, I will be paying my own way to Williamsport, PA. I?will be?missing over a month's work this year from my businesses to attend meetings, training, and the Series.?My sister has set up a fund to help cover some of the expenses to and from Williamsport, the trading pins (see?mine below) that are a big part of the traditions?of this experience, and other expenses like food.

If you are so inclined, you can go to?https://ffnd.co/n/KDJ3kG/37657 ?or text LLWS to 206-672-7222 to donate.?Any extra funds will be distributed to fellow volunteer umpires who will also pay their expenses and join me from the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, & Lithuania or to local Little Leagues who desperately need equipment.

Thank you! ??

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