| You've got one swing at home plate. Bases are | | | | tongue, your attitude, your performance? Here's a |
| loaded, 2 strikes, bottom of the 9th, clock's ticking. | | | | gut-check for you: how long have you spent crafting |
| You've got one shot to win this thing, or foul it up | | | | up excuses for poor behavior, rather than correcting |
| and lose big. Don't be "Casey at Bat," man--give it | | | | your course? |
| your best shot and smash that thing to Pluto! | | | | Let this be the year, let now be the moment, that |
| It doesn't matter if you don't play baseball--I don't! | | | | you take the bull by his horns--or wherever else you |
| But the point remains: you have the bat, you have | | | | can grab onto him--and wrestle that stubborn brute |
| the reason to swing for the fence, and the rest is all | | | | to the ground and take charge of your life. Were |
| moot. Take your best shot and make it count. This | | | | you abused as a child? Were you neglected and hurt? |
| isn't baseball I'm talking about, this is life! | | | | Did you get stomped on at work? Did your spouse |
| Every moment is like that sweaty-palmed, World | | | | or significant other leave you? |
| Series moment, and it's up to you. Now, it is a little | | | | Seriously: I'm sorry. |
| different, in that you probably don't have a hundred | | | | Now that that's done and over with: get yourself |
| million eyeballs watching your every move. It is, | | | | some steel in your spine and move on. Pity party's |
| however, the exact same thing when it comes to | | | | done, hit the lights and get back to work on |
| how you handle your every moment in your day. For | | | | something that can actually improve your situation. |
| instance: | | | | Nobody can do it for you. |
| How do you handle your children, if you have any? | | | | You've got the bat in your hands, leave the |
| Your spouse? Your family and friends? Your | | | | inconsiderate bullies behind for a second and take |
| co-workers? How do you relate to other people--are | | | | control of where you're headed. Sit down and make |
| they "people" or simply "nuisances?" | | | | a list of the things you want to change about |
| Are they commodities, stepping-stones, tools in your | | | | yourself--not the world or powers-that-be, but about |
| hand or pawns on your chessboard? Do your friends | | | | you--and then make a plan to change just one thing |
| and co-workers think of you as the irreplaceable cog | | | | at a time. |
| in the machine, or as the monkey wrench gumming | | | | Chunk it out into baby steps, and work towards the |
| up the works? Look, you probably don't want to | | | | first one. You do not have to be the same old you. |
| keep reading if you suffer from GAD (General | | | | People change. You don't have to make this a |
| Anxiety Disorder) or some other high-stress condition. | | | | swing-and-a-miss, not this time. You've got to swing |
| Otherwise, think about this for a second: who else is | | | | for the fence, every time. Batter up! |
| holding the bat in your hands? Who else controls your | | | | |