I know everyone is busy, but spend 7:33 watching this video and you will be happy you did.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/good-sports/201202/still-scarred-two-wars-american-hero-daniel-rodriquez-chases-his-football-dr

If you are a High School or Junior College baseball player, or even a parent to a child who fits that category you should check out www.michiganprospectheadquarters.com

Michigan Prospect Headquarters puts athletes in front of college coaches, to showcase their ability and work directly with the coaches that could eventually be recruiting them.

I always here people say “I would rather be lucky than good”, and I always thought those were people who do not like to compete, but instead have things handed to them.

Luck is not a chance happening, as the saying goes “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. The big difference between the two is the latter acknowledges the fact that you have to put the work in, if you want to have success.

When I was at GRCC I was the back up 3rd baseman my freshman year, and I wasn’t sure how much time I was going to get. Then one day the 3rd baseman went down with an ankle injury, and my opportunity had come. Up to this point, I spent 1-2 hours per day lifting, stretching, and running on my own. Also, we had practice, so I was getting work in then as well. When the day came at Indiana Tech, I went 5-7 with two HRs and two 2Bs. Was I lucky? No, I was ready to play, because I got myself ready to play. After that, the other kid moved to 1st and I started every game at 3rd base.

At Western Michigan University, the same thing happened to me, except I was the 4th outfielder, back up 3rd baseman, and back up 1st baseman. A friend of mine and starting center fielder went down with, an ankle injury. In that time, I ended up starting in center for a little over a week. I played so well that when he returned, I stayed in the line up and moved to left field. Again, I put all the hours in during practice, and worked out, and took swings on my own. I was not lucky, I was ready to pounce on an opportunity when it arose, and that is exactly what I did.

The point here, is to never get discouraged when you are not the starter. I see too many kids stop working hard, and almost give up, and then when their number is called they are not ready and they fail. Why? Because they were not prepared, plain and simple.

Prepare yourself everyday.

I’m tired

I can’t reach

My arm hurts

I sprained my thumb (Ronnie Lott once had a finger amputated to play in a game)

I don’t have time

My body hurts

I’m to old

I can’t wake up that early (you actually just don’t want to)

I don’t have time after work (But you have time to watch 3 hours of T.V.)

I don’t have enough money (last time I checked going outside was free)

I am afraid to workout in a gym (Go in your basement, Living room, or run outside)

It’s too cold

It’s too hot

It’s too nice to go to the gym

These are just some of the excuses I have heard, and a few I have even made myself at one time or another. The sooner you stop making excuses, the sooner you will start reaching your full potential.

Excuses keep you from becoming great

Make a million dollars?

Become well known?

Become an Icon?

Make friends?

Be the boss?

Own your own business?

Give back?

Help your community?

Make money and help at the same time?

Become a Rockstar CEO

Here is the thing, it doesn’t matter what your motives are, as long as you are honest with yourself, and most importantly, the people you are trying to connect with. If you are who you say you are, and you prove that over and over again, people will begin to watch, listen, and even support you. Now, this may not happen over night, it may take months or years to build the trust you need in order to become what you want, but in the end it is worth it.

When you finally have the supporters/fans/followers/customers you want, you will need to continue to deliver on all the promises you made, and you will need to continue to be as honest and open as you were in the beginning. Why? because, what may take 5 years to build, could all be brought down with one deceptive, or not perfectly honest move.

Work hard, be honest, have fun, and pursue your dreams.

When people say they can’t do something, it is almost guaranteed they simply don’t want to do it. They are physically capable, they are simply not willing.

If I asked you to be a vegetarian for a year, you would say I can’t go without meat for a whole year. I would then ask,

“How do you know, have you tried it?”

You probably have not, you just are not willing to do it. If I ask you to run 10 400 meter sprints, you would say, “I can’t”.

I would say “Why not?”

I didn’t say you had to run them all under a certain time, and I didn’t even say you had to be done in an hour, but because you are not willing to push yourself, test yourself, find out what you are really made of, the easy answer is “I Can’t”.

The things you don’t want to do are almost certainly the things that will make you better, help you lose weight, live longer, sleep better, get stronger, and so on.

The things you can’t do are things you have worked hard to do, but just seem to come up a little short, but you tried, and hopefully you still are.

For example, I worked my butt off when I played to run faster, throw harder, and hit for a higher average. I ran sprints on top of sprints, then I ran stairs. I worked out hard, played long toss, took a million swings, and even skipped parties in which I knew my friends would be at, because I had things I had to work on, because I truly wanted to know what I could and couldn’t do.

After all that my list of “I can’t” is this:

I can’t throw 91
I can’t run a 6.6 sixty
I can’t dunk a basketball two handed (or at all anymore)
There are more, but I don’t want to continue writing all of them, I could, I just choose not to.

What is it that you cannot truly do, and what is it that you do not want to put the work in to achieve. Understanding the difference will help you understand what it is that you actually want to do with your life.

Go as hard as you could?

Play with passion?

Respect the game?

Respect your teammates?

Get the job done to the best of your ability?

let somebody know, good enough never really is?

Learn from a mistake?

Let one at bat be one at bat?

Play for your teammates?

Not worry about your personal numbers?

Pick up your teammate after he made an error, instead of using it as a reason you should be starting?

Put the haters in the background?

Motivate yourself?

Get mentally prepared to play?

Make it personal between you and your opponent?

If you can do all of the above, you may or may not be successful on the field of play, but I would bet on you to be successful in life. Isn’t that what really matters anyway?

Why…
Not give it your best every time?
Do you make an excuse after every failure?
Has Qdoba made their burritos smaller but raised their prices?
Do people feel it is OK to give you unsolicited advice?
Do you not want to be up when the game is on the line?
Does failure scare you so bad?
Do you not realize your fears are paralyzing you?
Do you have batting gloves in your back pocket, and none on your hands?
Do you let your swagger speak louder than your play?
Do you enjoy getting 3 hits when your team loses?
Are you selfish?
Do you not realize that your selfishness hurts your team?
Does 90 feet seem so far to you?
Are you entitled to play everyday?
Do you think your scholarship guarantees you playing time?
Do people stop working when the results are not immediate?
Would I trust that you have my best interest at heart?
Did you stop believing in yourself?
Does it take hate and negative talk to motivate you?
Did you let others steal your confidence?
Did you stop playing in the 7th inning of a 9 inning game?
Do you always look at the negative?

How…
Do you work harder than anyone all the time?
Do you not stop trying to get better?
Are you so driven?
Do you stay so positive?
Does it not bother you that you went 0-4?
Do you push others do be better?
Do you have so much energy to give?
Do you have so much energy to share with others?
Did you get to the point where failure doesn’t scare you?
Do you know the right things to say at the right time?
Do you always believe you can win?
Do you make 90 feet look so short?
Do you not let the hate slow you down?

My hope is other people are asking you the question in the How section and not the Why Section.

If you are surrounded by people you always have to ask the Why questions to, you are headed for trouble, but if you have a group of people you can ask the How questions to, you have a serious chance to achieve greatness.

Workout when nobody is looking?
Workout when your friends are all hanging out?
Go to football or basketball practice, and get your swings, bull pen, ground balls in after?
Do one more set when you can barely walk?
Push through the pain, and pitch in the big game?
Push through the pain and pitch in a game that might end up being a big game?
Go to the cage when you would rather be sleeping?
Not let others dictate your work ethic?
Put it all on the line, when it really matters?
Respectfully call out a teammate when they need it? That is what leaders do.
Go to all your classes?
Study as hard as you practice?
Show up early?
Stay Late?
Work on the basic fundamentals for hours on end?
Miss the party?
Run even when it is raining? You are going to sweat anyway.
Take Responsibility for your actions? Not just the good ones.
Sacrifice for the team?
Play the role you are given?
Try to improve, and change your roll?
Catch every ball with two hands?
Run hard to 1st base every time?
Run out every fly ball?
Back up the plays you are supposed to?

What you are willing to do, will tell you what your goals truly are.

So if I ask you, “if you want to play college baseball” and you can’t answer yes to these questions, you might want to reconsider what you want to do.

If someone tells you they played Semi-Pro, that means they played on a summer team.

If someone says “you are Semi-Pro” they are saying, you stink.

When a kid’s Mom or Dad tells you he throws 88 it means he throws 82, it just looks faster because the people in his small town can’t catch up to that noise.

When a kid’s Mom or Dad tells you they were invited to a baseball camp at (insert any school) it means they got a form letter that 1,000 other kids received. (Sorry to all my college coaching buddies for giving out your secret)

You should not lie about how far you made it because GOOGLE will always tell the truth.

Do not tell me you were the starting SS at school if you wereen’t, because again, GOOGLE will tell the truth.

Most kids do not truly understand what it takes to play collegiate baseball, especially at D I or D II.

Most hitting conversations are a waste of time because they are either between two people who agree and are saying the same thing, or they are between two people who have different views, and neither is willing to change. Either way, it is a complete waste of time, and nothing is learned.

Jogging to first base just proves you are a lazy cry baby.