Why do we love spring? It is the time of year when we see new life, leaves on our trees, flowers in our gardens, and green grass. We northerners love the long hours of sunlight and warm weather outdoor activities. The long, cold winter is over.
Spring also marks the beginning of baseball season. Professional baseball teams play more games than teams in any other major sport. Over the course of a 162 game season, anything can happen. Even fans of the lowliest team know that on any given day, their heroes can pull off a win, regardless of who they are playing. Baseball is a game where even the best teams lose a third of their games, and even the best hitters only succeed in one of three at bats. We all love to win championships, but the joy of being a baseball fan is learning to celebrate the small victories. It is indeed the celebration of the small victories that leads to the championship.
I remember the early days of the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1970's. Our marginal major leaguers took on the likes of the mighty New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. At the first pitch, any game could be a win. Over the course of the season, heroes emerged. Though the first few seasons resulted in last place finishes, there was always next season. We knew that we were building toward something. Finally in the late '80's and early '90's, the lowly Toronto Blue Jays emerged as the dominant team in baseball. It was awesome, and it happened one small victory at a time.
If you look at the life of anyone who has achieved greatness, you will see that it was achieved one small victory at a time, until the world took notice and said, "Hey! That person came out of nowhere!" The reality is that greatness almost never just arrives out of nowhere, however. It begins in the mind of the person, and is achieved one day at a time with persistent effort and constant belief, one small victory at a time. Even the challenges we face and our "failures" become lessons which are steps on the road to victory.
What do you hope to achieve? Is it advancement in your profession? Is it a better financial situation? Is it better health? Is it a championship? Whatever it is, set your goal, stay focused on it, but don't worry. Be confident. Your dream will come to pass. Just as spring always follows winter, and summer always follows spring, you will achieve your goal. In fact, you are already achieving it, one small victory at a time.
