Benefits of Struggle

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

And we could never fly...

Apply this to you as a student or a player.

Expect to Hit the Ball

Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, and I have never met, but he taught me something so valuable that it changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all time hits record. One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, "78." The reporter yelled back, "Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats do you?"

Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place!" "If I go up hoping to get a hit," he continued, "then I probably don't have a prayer to get a hit. It is a positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place."

When I thought about Pete Rose's philosophy and how it applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband.

The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! Thanks, Mr. Rose!

Derek Jeter: 2006 Baseball Digest's Player of the Year

This article is too good not to share. Even though Jeter is not a Phillie, I have always admired him and his passion for the game. Coach Todd, this one is for you.

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The Work Ethic that defines Yankees captain Derek Jeter finds its roots on baseball fields in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
There, hours after he had finished a team practice or just when there was some free time, Jeter could be found with his parents and younger sister tirelessly fielding grounders, honing his swing and playing catch.
"That was family fun for us," his sister said. Those after-hour and any-hour family workouts should not be underestimated when examining the player Jeter is today. Not only did they tighten an already tighly knit family, but a lifelong philosophy also was ingrained.
"My parents always said to play hard, work hard," said Jeter, 31, whos has four World Series rings with the Yankees."There's always going to be people who are better than you, but there's no reason someone should outwork you. That's pretty much the pholosophy I had and have to this day."
"You just try to play hard, because the least you can do is go out there and give 100 percent effort. It doesn't mean you're always going to get the job done or be successful, but the last thing you want to do is, when it's all said and done, is wish you had tried harder."
This is an excerpt taken from the Jan/Feb issue of Baseball Digest 2007. If you would like to read the rest of this article, pick up a copy from Coach Kramer.

Persevering When Times Get Tough

When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.

Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on - hour after hour - while millions watched on national television.

Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn't much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had . . . until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

Still thawing her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, "Look, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it." It was not fatigue or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing the men's record by two hours!

Unity and the bond between teammates

Do you see this ring? This ring symbolizes a bound a man makes to a woman. It symbolizes when two become one. It shows the commitment, dedication, and trust individuals have for each other. The special bond in this case is called marriage.

You can’t take marriage for granted. It takes work to keep the bond growing. Now if one member of the marriage does something he/she shouldn’t have, like adultery, spending money irresponsibly, and etc., it weakens the bond. On the other hand, you can strengthen the bond by doing things that are pleasing, such as spending time, sending flowers, etc.. You can’t take this relationship for granted.

We engaged in a special bond today, and that is called a Team. You can’t take the word Team for granted. You are not a team if you do things to interfere with the performance of the whole. If you put yourself before the team, then you don’t respect the precious bond we have in a Team. You should be able to look at anyone sitting here and rely on them in any situation. When you feel that way, you have the bond.

When we can get all of the individuals moving ahead in the same direction, the performance level will heighten. Remember, your teammates care for you. This is important because there is an unconditional love found in a bonded team. This means, your coaches, and teammates will care and support you no matter what happens. Don’t be afraid to give it your all on the field and come up short. We will support you. Get rid of the fear of failure.