We are living in a world where it can be tough to turn on the news sometimes. Protests, riots, and violence have been the norm in 2020. It is safe to say a majority of us want to move in a direction that is beneficial for everyone, no matter what side you stand on. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. represented that movement. In honor of him and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I have pulled out seven of my favorite quotes ranging from love to leadership. I hope you get as much out of them as I have!
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
Dean Whellams, one of my favorite people on the planet, preaches, “how you do anything is how you do everything.” We get so caught up in trying to make this big impact in life, which is understandable. But even in the context of a team, we can make a huge impact on a smaller level. Rather than rolling in as a freshman and getting upset when you aren’t the starting shortstop, you do the best you can where you are put. In time, you will be able to be the impact guy, but that will never happen if you are not fully bought in as a backup.
“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
Coach Jay Johnson says you can’t play at the University of Arizona if you don’t LOVE baseball. Why? Because you will never reach your full potential. When you put everything into something, like sports, the losses tend to hurt a lot more. On the other hand, those wins feel that much better. If we want to reach our full potential, we have to let down our guards and full-send.
“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
This one reminds me so much about the search for success on the field. Players find so much more success when their focus becomes helping others succeed. Why do guys get in a sophomore slump? The first year they have all this success, then the second year comes around and it’s like they have never played before. A lot of the time they are so focused on themselves succeeding, that when they struggle, their world goes in a tailspin. If they take that focus off of their own struggles and place it on the team, the weight is lifted.
“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”
Attitude is everything, pick a good one. It is easy to get frustrated and a bad situation get the better of us. Sure, wave the white flag and get mad when someone beats you. That will only leave you wishing you had handled it differently down the road. Walk with class, talk with class, through winning and losing.
“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
The 10,000-hour rule only applies when those hours are focused and deliberate. This goes the same with our daily lives. I love this analogy: imagine you are 100 years-old and you are sitting in the rocking chair on your front porch. Are you going to look back and say, “I did it right”? Or are you going to say, “I wish I had done more”? Do things that challenge you, travel the world, and love to the fullest.
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
There will be doubters and detractors. The road to success is paved with them. Nowadays, every single one of them has a voice thanks to social media. What they say only has power over you if you let it! Stay so strong and convicted, that the words of others have no impact on your goals!
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
College baseball teams are made up of 35 players. Those 35 players come from 35 different families, in 35 different places, with 35 different backgrounds. The goal is to create one cohesive unit, all pulling on the same side of the rope. Race, ethnicity, status, and wealth have absolutely nothing to do with winning a baseball game. Nor do they have anything to do with being a good person and treating people with respect. Love your brothers and sisters.
