What Do You Do with a Swing and a Miss; You Persevere

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run, ” said the baseball player that in 1923 broke the season home run record, recorded the highest batting average in history, and also struck out more times than any other player in major league baseball.

Babe Ruth was a winner and changed his world by seeing the value in each failure, and how to use those failures to climb toward success. He was more than fearless, not afraid to swing for the fences, and even strikeout three times out of four. He could persevere because he knew that at any moment his skills would, not just could but sure would, overcome and conquer his adversity and his adversaries. He lived to persevere.

One home run was worth three strike outs. The Babe knew that and so did his opponents and they feared him because of it. Pity the pitcher who relaxed after striking out the great Babe Ruth once, and then had to face him for his next at bat. Maybe a good pitcher could strikeout the Babe twice, but what if he had to face Ruth a third time? The outcome was almost predetermined. It was almost inevitable that the next home run would come.

What did Babe Ruth know? He knew how to persevere…

Each failure builds to success

We need to fail to succeed

Eventually my strengths will conquer your weakness

Perseverance is as easy as never giving up until you succeed

So, should we have the Babe’s confidence and work to persevere in our daily innings?

Each Failure Leads to Success

You were hired, by Destiny, to come up to bat a certain number of times in this game of life. If you prepare for it, and make failure a part of your preparation, and then apply what you learned, there isn’t a pitcher on earth that can strike you out three times in a row. Your home run will make all your failures gold.

We Need to Fail to Succeed

Imagine Babe Ruth coming back to the dugout after his first strike out, disappointed, but not discouraged. One of his teammates may try to comfort him by telling him “you’ll get the next one.” And The Babe will reply, “You can count on it,” as he studies the pitcher and then finds his enemies weakness, and adds that flaw to his strength. “The home run will come.”

Eventually My Strength Will Conquer Your Weakness

The Babe is back at the plate in the next inning, facing the same pitcher, and his swagger is amazing. He has learned the pitcher’s weakness, and added that knowledge to his strength. The home run is coming. The pitcher knows that too, and fear begins to grow as Ruth’s confidence rises.

Perseverance is as Easy as Never Giving Up

Babe’s manager in 1923, Miller Huggins, knew Babe’s home run was coming. It didn’t matter how many strikeouts Babe suffered during a game, Huggins had the team ready for Ruth when he came up to bat. He put the right batters in front of him in the lineup so there would be men on base when Ruth came to bat. He was counting on maximizing the runs coming in, and would not have someone else hit in Ruth’s spot, because Huggins new that eventually Babe would persevere and get the team the runs. It must have worked great because the 1923 Yankees won their third straight pennant, finishing 16 games ahead of the second place Detroit Tigers, and won their first World Series title.