What this baseball season has taught me about self-belief ?

?? Warning: Baseball references galore in this newsletter. ?

You may or may not know this about me, but I make no secret of the fact that I am the BIGGEST Baltimore Orioles fan there is.

I grew up outside of Washington, DC, and - dating myself here - as a kid, the Washington Nationals were still the Montreal Expos, and as such, when my family went to baseball games, our “local” team was the O’s.

Interestingly, most of my family became Nats fans almost immediately when they moved to DC in 2005 (why drive all the way to Baltimore when they can take the Metro to RFK Stadium / Nationals Park?).

I’m the only one who stuck with the Orioles through thick and thin.?

And let me tell you:

There was So. Much. Thin. ??

The Orioles were pretty much known to be in last place in their very competitive division every season.?

Sure, every now and then, they’d make a playoff appearance, but that was few and far between.

Their reputation was bad.

Really bad.

So bad, that just two years ago, in the 2021 season, their record was 52 wins - 110 losses. Tied for the worst record in all of Major League Baseball.

Then comes 2022. Some glimmers of hope. An actual winning record (83 wins - 79 losses) and 4th place in their division. Definite improvement.

And all of a sudden, it’s 2023.?

Here’s what the experts were saying before the season began about this team with the second lowest payroll in MLB:

“That’s again the case entering 2023, despite Baltimore coming off an 83-win campaign in 2022. PECOTA has the Orioles regressing and going 74-88. ZiPS is also projecting a sub-.500 season at 80-82. Many sportsbooks have the over/under for the club’s win total set around the mid-70s.” - Jake Rill, MLB.com

And still, like I do every year, I watched nearly every game. I cheered for them. I actually believed in them.

And I saw something remarkable.

Against all odds, the Orioles showed up. They fought. They never got swept. They ended the season with 101 wins, the best record in the American League, the 2nd best record in baseball and one of just 3 teams to win 100+ games.

Alas, you may know that, ultimately, just last week, The Orioles got swept in their division series and are not advancing to the World Series.

Yes, I’m heartbroken. ?? I really thought this was their year.

I’m also in complete awe of a team that turned 110 losses just TWO years ago into 101 wins this year.

They could easily have let all of their detractors get in their heads. They could have given up.?

But instead, they believed in themselves.

Why? Because all the evidence was there. They had the talent. They had the drive. They had the confidence.

And this was a powerful lesson to me:

We have choices.

We can look at our pasts and the things that have gone wrong, and not try for the things that matter, because, well, why bother?

OR

We can learn from what hasn’t gone our way in the past, pivot based on those experiences, and take different paths to reach new heights.

I am choosing to take a lesson from my team and not let my past mistakes define me. Instead, I choose to learn and grow from them.

I choose to believe, just like the O’s do.

And who knows what’s possible from here?

Cheers, Tracy

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In case you missed it, Rachael Freedman and I recently hosted a LinkedIn Live where we discussed and demonstrated two distinct methods of how to replace a limiting belief with a more empowering one. A recording of the session can be found here. You won't want to miss this fun and informative 30 minutes!

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