“Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism, and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.” – Ernie Banks, 14-Time MLB All-Star
Spring is here and the 2021 version of the “season of renewal” carries extra significance—it marks the one-year anniversary of when everybody’s life was completely upended by COVID-19. After a year that blindsided everyone with heaps of stress, worry, and fear, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I love the Ernie Banks quote above because it points out that spring (especially for baseball lovers) is the annual opportunity to hit the mental “reset button” and embrace a new season of hope and optimism. After the year we’ve all had, it’s even more important to turn the page and look forward with hope.
How you approach the future is a choice. No matter what has happened in the past, you can choose to look forward with hope or fear. The choice you make will affect everything you experience in the months and years ahead.
It’s interesting to note that Ernie Banks, the legendary baseball player nicknamed “Mr. Sunshine” due to his joyful attitude, didn’t always exude the sunny disposition he became known for.
I told the following story in my book, Think Like a Warrior, but the quick version is worth repeating here.
In 1950, Buck O’Neil was manager of the Kansas City Monarchs (the legendary Negro League franchise that produced some of baseball’s greatest players of all time, including Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and Satchel Paige). Banks was 19 at the time and he had just signed with the Monarchs. He was shy and nervous, playing tight and holding everything inside. O’Neil recognized that Banks was hampering his potential by playing this way.
After seeing enough, O’Neil had a talk with Banks and told him, “Be alive, man! You gotta LOVE this game to play it.”
It was a turning point for Ernie Banks. Buck O’Neil helped him recognize that playing in fear was only hurting him. He taught Banks that life was too short not to enjoy what he was doing. He taught him to look on the bright side of every situation.
When Banks started playing with a love for the game and a hope for the future, everything changed.
Ernie Banks would go on to a long Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Cubs where he was known as one of the most positive players on the field. He credited Buck O’Neil with teaching him to play that way.
“It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame, let’s play two!” Banks would often say, wishing for a double-header because he loved the game so much.
Ultimately, Ernie Banks made a choice. He chose to follow Buck’s advice and play with unbridled joy instead of oppressive fear and that change in attitude unleashed his greatness.
We all face the same choice. Today. Every day.
After the previous twelve months, I challenge everyone to take a deep breath and hit the mental “reset button.”
What’s done is done. The past is the past. It’s time to look ahead. It’s time to move forward. It’s time to choose hope, optimism, and joy this very moment.
If, like so many of us, you put off some dreams and goals over the past year due to everything that was going on, it’s time to reignite your enthusiasm and go after them once again!
We’re not completely out of the dark, but there is a light in the distance and it’s time to head towards that light. It’s time to hit reset and start attacking your dreams with joy and enthusiasm.
Spring is here. A time of renewal. It’s the perfect moment to move on from the past and CHOOSE to focus on the opportunities ahead.
