Life lessons are everywhere, engraved into many facets, experiences and opportunities throughout our lives. Finding the lessons might prove to be difficult sometimes, but they’re always there. One of my favorite lessons learned to-date stems from something I know well… baseball.
One summer I had the opportunity to spend two months playing in the Cape Cod baseball league. Coming out of a below average collegiate season at the University of Kentucky, I was not a happy camper. I was depressed, tired, discouraged, off my game, restless (need I continue?). Baseball was who I was and when it was faltering, so was I. I had put all of my self-worth into one aspect of my life. My perception of who I was solely depended on how well I was playing on the field. All of my worth had been put into my successes (or lack thereof sometimes) of a sport. However, the summer of Cape Cod changed this reoccurring mindset.
If you have never been to Cape Cod, it is one of the few places that looks exactly like a postcard in every direction you look. The epitome of picturesque. I made myself a promise that summer that I would visit a new part of the area each day. I quickly got into the routine of waking up early and driving to a new beach, cranberry bog or a hill with a scenic view. My wife, who I met that summer in Cape Cod, began joining me on these adventures each morning, but those are a different story for another time. It was in these moments that for the first time ever (at least from what I could remember) the present moment was the only thing that mattered. The past or the future wasn’t in the forefront of my thinking. Starting my days like this brought newfound energy to my days.
I began filling my life in other areas. My health was prioritized, my relationships with friends and family were catered to and life beyond baseball had significant importance in my life. My life was not all about the game. Oddly enough, my focus while on the field improved and I began playing the best I ever had in the sport.
Today, while I no longer play baseball, I’ve found this same lesson recreated in my professional and personal life time and time again. Life gets busy. It’s easy to put all your eggs in one basket, neglect other areas of your life, cut your social time to spare time elsewhere, etc. The routine sets … wake, work, sleep, repeat.
That summer, I created separate baskets that I knew needed filling. Today, these baskets are prioritized collectively. One does not hold more weight than the other in the grand scheme of things. If one rises to the top, then the others will be filled soon. My baskets are:
Take a moment to evaluate where you stand in these categories. How many are full? Which ones are half full? In our culture, our professional baskets are typically the first to be filled. How are you finding balance in each basket?
Filling all of your baskets provides a security blanket for when one basket is struggling. Imagine coming home from a rough day of work (Professional). You decide to go on a 30-minute walk (Physical). During that walk you call your brother to catch up (Relational). You have always loved cooking, so you decide to make something new for dinner after your walk (Recreational). After dinner, you decide to re-read Harry Potter for the fifth time (Recreational). Five minutes before bed, you take a few minutes to pray (Spiritual). You lay your head down and recognize that you filled all of your baskets today. That provides peace of mind and positive self-worth.
Overall, I have found that self-worth is the accumulation and average of all of your baskets. I challenge you, even if just for a week, to take inventory of and fill your baskets. Every. Single. One.
