It’s No Time to Be Nervous

Success-Rambling Again

Opening day in Major League Baseball, race day, and book publication day have many similarities. 

 I went to bed last night with the same feeling as the day before the marathon and baseball’s opening day. Notice I said, went to bed because saying I went to sleep would not be accurate. The excitement and anticipation of all of them are such that sleep is off and on, at best.

Anyway, my latest book, The Success Trail: Learn to Win with a Marathon Runner’s Mindset, comes out today. The questions swirl all night long: Will it be liked or get many bad reviews? Have I hit it over the wall or miss the mark like when I faced Nolan Ryan in his 5th no-hitter - good morning, good afternoon, and good night – over quickly.

I know I have prepared as I did before a long run and opening day with positive meditations and seeing myself performing well. My state of mind is one of determination, excitement, and gratefulness that I get the chance to put the hard work to the test. Why work hard if there is no opportunity to deliver, no matter the results.

Such is life for the writer and athlete when they put themselves out there for all to see. It’s scary, but I realize today is not the day to fret, but one of pride in knowing I wrote the book I wanted to write. My baseball and running experience provide the guidance:

·         No one forced me to choose this path - I decided to put myself in front of an audience, and accept the reviews, even if I disagree.

·         It’s only the first day in a long journey, and tomorrow is a new day, but at the same time, the pressure to perform always exists.

·         One cannot necessarily control the results, only the preparation.

An encouraging sign is Baseball’s Opening Day and Marathon Race-Day were the days I felt the least nervous as I had the confidence and peace I lacked leading up to them or had for the season’s and race’s remainder. So, I guess a good life lesson is to look at every day as opening day, so the calm exists.

Remember, there will be many days thinking you can’t do it, but a lifetime of knowing you have!