Derek Jeter’s Secret to Success: Dealing with What’s Next

Why He was “The Captain”

I’ve said before that there are no secrets when it comes to having success – it’s the work. But, before the work it’s the mindset and Derek Jeter knew the key to that. His mind game, simple and to the point, put him on the track to success.

The fascinating takeaway from the excellent ESPN documentary, The Captain, on Derek Jeter’s life was his mindset. Whether the Yankees won or lost the World Series, Derek’s thoughts automatically went to “What’s Next?” He even admitted that mentality probably took away from him enjoying his career success, but the attitude leads to year-in and year-out success. He was caught in a catch-22 of sorts, he reached the pinnacle, but to stay there, he had never to let his guard down. Derek knew the secret to success was looking forward, not back.

Positive & Negative Success Makers

The avenue to success is never being satisfied, which may include a lack of enjoying the limelight. That light brings down many, but Jeter wouldn’t let it.  It’s difficult not to bask in the glory, and why many professional athletes have a terrible year after a fantastic one. They became satisfied, complacency set in, and once it does, turning it around that season is unlikely. The Jeter class of players is constantly in the “How can I get better, bring it on, and I will find a way” mode. Unfortunately, they pay the price for the attitude with a work ethic beyond compare.

The opposite mindset is also within everyone. Instead of “Bring it on” and “There’s a way” are thoughts of “I can’t” and “I’ll never finish.” There were times in my playing career when I let frustration and failure rule my mind, leading to more days of unsatisfactory results. In other words, a lack of confidence was not conducive when playing at the highest level.

Negative success makers deter one from winning the day, and too many down days can lead to weeks, months, and years of discontent. Not a good scenario, of course. Negative thoughts are the biggest culprit and inhibit one’s ability to achieve what one set out to do. They are unavoidable to some degree, but how we deal with them matters, in the long run, pun intended. I played most of my career with the most detrimental negative success maker – a lack of confidence. I dealt with it by trying to fool others with my hustle – I tried to mask my inner thoughts of inadequacy by sprinting everywhere – making it look like I couldn’t wait to get up to bat or get on the field.. Inside though, that was not the case.

Despite that and nowhere in Derek’s league or have his drive to be the best,  I relate to his what’s next mindset. After hitting .294 in 1984, I never felt it was the best I had and believed better was possible. I went into the off-season with the thought, “What can I do to hit .300?” I knew it was doable; I just never figured it out. Consistency is the domain of the greats.  

In my running career, it’s the same – run after run, good or bad; I immediately think “What’s next?” Currently, my magic number is down to 11, and there is a reason for optimism for my 16th marathon. After completing a 15-mile run, the hopefulness came when most needed - on mile 15. Feeling a little dreary, my mind did the usual and started wondering where another 11.2  miles would come from. In the nick of time, the song that pops up on my playlist is Green Mountain State by Trevor Hall. The chorus to the song continually repeats, “There’s a way, there’s a way, there’s a way.” Yes! That has become my mantra for this year’s marathon - The Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C. Anywhere an athlete can find confidence, it’s worth exploring and always welcome.

The Success Plan

When the negative success makers appear, you must have ways to keep them in check to avoid days turning into weeks of frustration. Here’s a plan to deal with what’s next, especially after failure:

1.     Swear if that’s your thing or just shake your head when you mess up but keep it short. A quick burst of disgust can help one get over it. However, do not throw things or do anything you may regret then or later. Anything that may be a distraction beyond the moment is not helpful. Derek Jeter often talked about how he hated distractions.

2.     Don’t blame your being, but recognize your actions were not what was desired. Beating oneself up when perfection never comes is detrimental to long-term achievement.  

3.     Forget about it and refocus on the moment. The sooner one can look past the previous action, whether it was good or bad, the better.

4.     Expect good things to come, no matter how bad the past has gone.

5.     Do your best to play to your strengths while practicing the areas that need work.

6.     Never forget everything is a work in progress. The overall game plan is getting as close to your potential as possible, not necessarily being the best.

7.     Don’t become satisfied. Better is always the goal.

Finally, it’s necessary to visualize yourself overcoming failure. That mental game practice is as vital as physical practice. Happy Trails

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