NEVER LET THE FEAR
OF STRIKING OUT KEEP YOU FROM PLAYING THE GAME!
In a game of Baseball, when the batsman steps on the pitch
he is afraid of one thing and one thing only, “striking out” . the rules state
that when a batsman pisses three consecutive pitches he has struck out and he
is out of the game. But this fear does not stop him from playing the game, for
as he steps on that plate the other thing that is on his mind is that I am not
going to strike out but rather “I am going to hit a couple of home runs before
I am either caught out or struck out”
The fear he has, gives him the impetus he needs to make sure
that he does not strike out, the fact that he has stepped out on that plate
means that the fear he had has caused his body to release adrenalin, the
hormone that is released when we are afraid, the “fight or flee “hormone which
prepares him to either fight or flee. By stepping on the plate he has decided
to fight and fight he will.
What the bats man knows is that he has the power and the
ability to hit the ball far and wide and get as many home runs as he can, he
trusts his potential and he knows he has done all he can and the moment he is
on that plate its fight or die, he has to hit that ball and hit it hard or get
out of the game. He did not allow his fear to stop him from playing the game he
used that fear as a means to motivate Him to greatness.
The people that have achieved much in this life did not do
it because they were fearless, yes they were afraid at one point or the other
but they were not remembered for being afraid, but instead they were remembered
for forging ahead despite of their fears. They went ahead and fought instead of
fleeing. They knew that there was a chance of them striking out but the odds
were in their favor that they might just hit a home run on one of those three
balls that they were accorded, if not all of them.
A lot of potentially successful people are leaving mediocre
lives because they allowed their fears to dictate who they are and what they
could become. They were content sitting in their comfort zones and doing
nothing to change their situation because they were afraid that they may miss
the ball and strike out. I am more than inspired by the great inventor Thomas
Eddison who Despite his many real failures looked upon them as lessons learnt,
he even said; “I did not fail 1000 times but I learnt 1000 ways how not to do
it” and he continued inventing. He even burnt down his Laboratory/ workshop
when one of his many inventions went wrong but he said; now we can start afresh
without a reminder of our mistakes” here is a man that utilized every ball, he
might have missed the first two but he hit the third one so hard that it gave
him a home run. Just imagine if he had given up after the first or second miss?
You see a lot of potential is lost because people give in to
their fears , the fear of failure especially; we wonder how we are going to
look if we fail (self preservation) “what if I fail? ”is the question we always
ask ourselves and we analyze all the possible outcomes, if we see any likelihood
of failure more often than not we come up with so many reasons why we cannot do
something. Some would say; like Queen Esther “All the king’s officials and the
people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the
king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that
they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and
spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the
king.”
That was her excuse, she was afraid to die, and Gideon would
ask; “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan
is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6:15. That
was his excuse, I am weak therefore I cannot do it. However as God spoke to
Gideon and after the three fleeces Gideon knew success was inevitable that is why
he went.
The time has come for us to look our fear in the eye and
ask: what if we succeed? What if I hit that home run?
People of God we were not give a spirit of fear, but of
power, love and of a sound mind. Success for us is inevitable. Yes we might
strike out but should that be an excuse for us not to step on that pitch, stand
tall and give it our best shot?
Do you really want to die asking yourself, “What if I had
tried it maybe I would be in a better place?”
He who gave you that idea or that desire knows that you have
the potential to make it work, and he has given you the ability to do it so why
don’t you throw caution to the wind this once and try it out. Go out there
stand on that pitch and hit that home run. Write that book, paint that picture,
ask her to marry you, start that business, record that song. I do not know what
it is that you have been afraid to do but today I say instead of fleeing why
not stand and fight?
The good thing with life is that you do not have just three
balls, you have countless opportunities to hit a home run and the fact that you
are still alive means that you still have the potential to hit that home run.
So my friend do not let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!
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