Not long ago I spoke with a softball mom who’s oldest daughter recently graduated from a DI college. As a freshman in college, this player was named Freshman of the Year for her conference.
What I didn’t know was that, at the very beginning of her college career, this player started off as a pinch runner. That’s all she was doing.
Her mom remembers talking with her after the first few games of that freshman season. She’d call and ask how the games went and if she got to play. Her daughter would say that “all she did” was pinch run. After a few games, the softball mom could hear the increasing frustration and irritation in her daughter’s voice. One day, when her daughter told her that all she did was pinch run, she responded with,
“Well then you better be the best pinch runner your team has ever seen.”
Her daughter later told her that that had been a wake up call for her. It was a turning point in her college career. After that phone call, she made a decision to stop grumbling, work her butt off, and take advantage of every opportunity she did get.
Most softball players, whether they are conscious of it or not, make this same kind of choice every single day. As a player, you can choose to be frustrated and irritated and grumble about your situation; or you can choose to stay away from that negative mindset, work your butt off, stay focused on improving, and take advantage of whatever opportunities come your way. These opportunities do not only come in games. They come in practice as well.
I’ve also heard players grumble about not having as many chances as other players do, and while that may very well be the case, they are more productive ways to spend your time and energy. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, it serves you better to stay positive and make it a point to make the best of any opportunity you do get. Stop focusing on what you don’t have and start fully appreciating and making the most of what you do have. You’re much more likely to be successful that way.
So how did this player I mentioned earlier go from being “just a pinch runner” to being Conference Freshman of the Year?
Well, one day a player on her team was having a rough day. The coach decided to put her in the game to replace that player. She had a great day and that was it. She never looked back. She became a regular starter and ended up as the Freshman Player of the Year in her conference. It’s a great example of how having the right mindset and attitude as a player can propel you to great things.
As a parent, are you cultivating the right mindset? Or do you add to and feed the negativity your daughter sometimes falls into?
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