You have always dreamed of this moment.

You step in the box with the game on the line. Bases are loaded. Two outs. Down by a run. Full count.

You see the pitcher wind up. The runners are stealing on the pitch because it’s a full count, and you see a fastball coming right down the middle.

You’ve dreamed of winning a game with a walk-off home run. You feel prepared for this moment, and even though you’re nervous, you feel more excited than anything. You stay under control and take your best swing and… POP.

The fastball hits the catcher's mitt as you swing and miss and strike out to end the game.

You hold your bat in frustration for a second, but as you walk back to the dugout,
you actually feel okay with it. Yes, you wanted that walk-off home run. But deep down, you feel a sense of peace. Because your identity isn’t in your results.

You get back to the dugout and pack your things. And you go enjoy the rest of your day as if nothing happened. You get dinner with your family and play some video games.

Why? Because your identity isn’t in baseball.

You go back to work in practice the next day working harder than everyone else because you love the game and you love the grind.

The next week you find yourself with the game on the line again. As you step up to the box, you remember VIVIDLY your last failure, but in this moment, you’re not afraid to fail.

You see the first fastball on the way, and you get excited and swing right through it. It was the perfect pitch and you missed it. But you don’t lose confidence. You prepared for this moment.

You adjust your approach, and the pitcher winds and fires. You see the ball on the outside corner; you feel the ball absolutely barreled in that opposite field gap as the winning run steps on home plate.

Your teammates pour Gatorade all over you and it feels AMAZING. But deep down, even if you would have failed again, YOU KNOW FOR A FACT it wouldn’t beat you down. Failure would not have stopped you from getting right back after it. It didn’t stop you last week.

Why? Because you’re relentless in everything you do. Failure is just a stepping stone for you. Results don’t define your love for the game. Results don’t define who you are as a person.

Baseball to YOU is just a game you play. Your identity, who YOU ARE, is so much more than your performance.