What are your Fab Five Traits?

At least at this stage of my life, my definition of success is simple – being my best self today, tomorrow, and each day. It has little to do with beating the competition and wealth—a story for another day. To be my best self, I try to win each day; I adhere to my Fab Five character traits.

These Difficult Times

Maybe it's my age, in that I pay more attention to events that are outside my small world. And perhaps I've become too sensitive, and my expectations are too high. But the values I believed in my whole life are being challenged as I've never witnessed.

Undoubtedly, the past couple of years have been unprecedented, something you already know. The Covid pandemic has created times and tests I would say none of us have ever experienced. But, even with the inclination to blame everything on the horrible plague, of equal concern, the present political and interpersonal conditions. So many things I read and watch on the news put me in a sad state. One solution is to stop watching and reading the state of the world, but that isn’t easy in the internet age, and that maneuver would be a cop-out.

The reality is life has always been trying with various issues of the times. Keeping a healthy mindset is challenging. Being a lifelong athlete, I know it does no good to dwell on the negative and fail to improve upon the circumstances, so I write.

My baseball career taught me that when one struggles, the key to getting out of it is to go back to the basics. That is what I do now to keep moving each day. The following are my Fab Five - the character traits I believe in and try to exhibit each day to stay optimistic about the future.

Fab Five Character Traits

·       Humility - the self-awareness that life is not only about me and using that knowledge to make a positive difference in others' lives.

·       Graciousness – to be thankful for what I have, knowing many have not been as fortunate as me.

·       Goodwill – treating others with respect through kindness and a generous spirit.

·       Humanity – knowing there is good in people and situations, looking for it, and realizing it’s better to give than get.

·       Teamwork – Being dependable and accountable to my support system.

If I added a sixth, it would be prayer – praying I live up to the above. Happy Trails!