I saw an interview with Tom Seaver (aka Tom Terrific), the Hall of Fame pitcher whose greatest claim to fame is that he helped turn around the fortunes of the New York Mets, a team in search of a new identity when he arrived in 1967. It was the early 1980s, Tom had just returned to the Mets in a trade, and he was contemplating what he would do when his playing career would be over. His biggest concern was knowing that one day soon he could walk off the mound for the last time without knowing what he would do in the next phase of his life. He wanted to find an activity that gave him as much joy as his pitching did, but he was not sure he could devote himself to another career with as much passion as he'd given to baseball. Before he retired from the game in 1987, he was fortunate to find a new career which helped him ease his transition to life away from the playing field. He went into broadcasting, which kept him to close to the sport he loved. Tom stayed in broadcasting for 20 years before walking away from baseball for good in 2006. After 40 years in baseball, Tom found a new profession which allowed him to fully devote himself with as much passion and intensity as he'd given the pitching mound and the broadcast booth: he bought some property in Napa Valley, California's wine country, and started his own vineyard. (http://www.seavervineyards.com/)
Looking at the photos on the website, I feel just as inspired by Tom's work ethic as I had been as a child watching him pitch. There's a reason why Number 41 is still revered by Mets fans as The Franchise. He transformed the team's image, letting everyone know that the losing attitude which had been established within the clubhouse before he put on a Mets uniform, as well as a lack of commitment to excellence would not be tolerated as long as he was around: not on his watch (Tom is a US Marine). Mets manager Gil Hodges, told him, "To err is human, but to make a mental mistake is unprofessional." Tom took that lesson to heart and still carries it with him today. His work ethic in his vineyard, as it was on the mound and in the broadcast booth, is as always persistent, passionate, and unrelenting. It is that passion which has always driven him to excel, whether stepping on the pitcher's mound, stepping into the broadcast booth, or walking the grounds of his three-acre vineyard on Diamond Mountain. His approach may not be everyone's cup of tea (or glass of wine), but it's hard to argue with the results. To Tom, the skill of his art form, whether pitching, broadcasting, or making wine, is paramount, and attention to detail is what matters most. Tom's dedication to his craft is what has always set him apart.
Like Tom, you have within you the capacity to be terrific at whatever you choose to do with your life. You may not be good with a baseball, or a microphone, or a bottle of wine, but there is something unique about you that sets you apart from your peers. It is your passion for all things that you enjoy in life and attention to detail that will get you noticed. The saying is true, when you set yourself on fire, people will come from miles around to watch you burn. Your passion attracts attention, and your enthusiasm is what gets people to say, "...there's something different about you..." Your own dedication to excellence is what makes the biggest impression on others. Such dedication can only come from the heart; it cannot be faked, and it cannot be forced. It comes from deep within your genuine self. When you reach out with your heart, people respond to you from their own.
Just as you are inspired by others, you can be inspiring to others. Don't waste time comparing yourself to someone else, you're not meant to be them, you're meant to be you. Only you. Appreciate the talents of others, but learn to acknowledge your own, and be willing to share them. Maybe you can't throw a blazing fastball, turn a phrase in front of a television audience, or create a cabernet sauvignon, but you can make a difference in this world, just by being you. Find your passion, make it happen, and let everyone around you see the terrific one in their midst: YOU.
That's all for now, gotta run. Until we meet again, remember:
Keep it simple....See ya!
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