What the MLB Draft Taught Me

Main Idea: 3 things I took from getting stumped on the biggest night of my life (or at least so I thought).

From time to time, I'll try to add some personal content here. Not that it's crucial to the goal of expounding on sound financial doctrine, but I've always enjoyed learning from experiences, so maybe you will too through one of my most memorable. The 2016 MLB Draft.

I was drafted in 2016 by the Washington Nationals in the 36th round.

Now I know what you're thinking, a couple more rounds and YOU would have been drafted.

The 36th round represented two things: an opportunity for seniors in college to get a shot at playing ball and for high schoolers who were asking for too much money in the first few rounds to still have a chance to get it if a higher draft pick ended up not signing. That was me.

With that in mind, 3 things that stick with me to this day affect my practice and how I feel about big-ticket items on the personal agenda.

?? When we care too much about something, it becomes an idol and is bound to end up letting us down (and most likely others as well).

I say this knowing a few people who read this are business owners while others are at the forefront of their careers—times when going a little overboard is almost required.

I'm not saying ambition is a bad thing, nor am I saying hard work is detrimental, but there is a wonderful balance to most things that I've found. You'll find "the sweet spot" as you get acclimated to who you want to be, or at least that's what I've come to believe.

Baseball was something I obsessed over, and it made my life miserable and those around me when it was not going well.

On a positive note, however, typically when you have what you most desire ripped from you, you'll be handed what you most need. The sovereignty of God has a way of doing those types of things...

?? The power of support

I grew up with a terrific family around me. My mom took a second job to help me play travel baseball, and my dad's second job was helping train me.

I would have been nowhere without them.

On the flip side, my agent got himself banned for life by the MLB shortly after the 2016 draft.

I learned of some pretty shady stuff going on in the aftermath of that year, and I still am not sure if what I was communicating to him was what was passed on to the 30 or so teams, but I have moved past this.

The reality is, you'll likely encounter people you couldn’t have succeeded without and others who hold you back. I’ve found it most helpful to focus on gratitude for the good and let go of the rest.

That sort of sounds like something a teacher would say at the back of a hot yoga class, but it's got something to it...

?? Don't count your chickens until they're hatched!

I left my final high school baseball game ever a few outs early to catch the final plane out to DC.

It had been fairly clear that I would be able to strike some sort of deal with the team, it was just a matter of when.

As I sat there that night, I watched several teams come and go.

It hurt at the time, but if I'm being honest with myself (and you, I guess), I wouldn't have taken me either.

I was an athletic kid from the middle of nowhere; I hadn't played a lot of great competition, and I was stiff as a board (still am).

With that being said, I was entirely duped into thinking I was going to collect my check and walk to the league.

Well surprise surprise, here I am nearly a decade later, typing it up.

...wouldn't change a thing.

The point is, nothing trumps being prepared.

That's all for today. That wasn't very financial at all...in fact I'm struggling to find any place I mentioned an investment or tax strategy, but it's too late to go back now.

I hope my experience has helped you reflect on some of your own. After all, the biggest benefit of listening to someone else is viewing your own life from a new reflection point.

Back to finance next time. Cheers.

No action items or follow up reads this time!