Pete Rose who earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle” from his fans and teammates for his work ethic and boundless enthusiasm, began playing professionally for the Cincinnati Reds in 1963. During his 24-year career he had many high points, including a career batting average of .303, a record-setting 4,256 hits, a 44 game hitting streak (1978) and three appearances in the World Series (twice with Cincinnati, 1975 and 1976, and once with the Philadelphia Phillies, 1980). Rose was all but guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame until 1989, when he was accused of betting on baseball. Although Rose denied it, the charges were proved and he was banned from baseball for life. He finally admitted that he had bet on baseball in his 2004 book, My Prison Without Bars.
Rose once spoke about how his father taught him that the only way a person can make good at anything is “to practice and then practice some more.” He continued, “ It’s easy to practice something you’re already good at and that’s what most people do. What’s tough is to go out and work hard on things you don’t do very well. If you have trouble going to your right after ground balls, have your friends hit you balls to your right.”
That quote may seem so simplistic and obvious that, upon hearing it, one might easily dismissed it as inconsequential and anything but inspirational. In fact, Charlie Hustle was on to something I consider quite profound and ignored by many who are hoping to accomplish something greater in their business, life, or relationships. Simply put, Rose was alluding to the fact that if you’re content with the best that you have done in any endeavor, you’ll never be the best that you can be. If you really want to get better, you’ll go out of your way to change your weaknesses into strengths. It’s not easy, but that’s how real growth occurs. It all boils down to how good you want to be.
When we make a mistake, we can do one of two things. We can ignore it – deny it and convince ourselves it wasn’t a mistake, or blame it on some fault other than our own. That’s easy to do and, hence, is often the avenue most chosen. The problem is, you’ll keep making the same mistake over and over. No growth there. Or, you can admit your mistakes, learn from them and have the courage to test yourself again in competition. This choice is obviously more risky, but it is always more rewarding. Growth always is.
It is true in sports as it is equally true in any life endeavor, you may be able to get by in the short run on raw talent or ability; but in the long run, you have to improve your weaknesses if you expect to win consistently. Tennis great Arthur Ashe put it this way, “You may be able to slide by sometimes by hitting your forehand when you should be hitting your backhand. But when it’s set point and your opponent hits a deep shot to your backhand, what are you going to do? I’ll tell you what you’re going to do – you’re going to lose.”
To get the competitive edge over your opponents and to grow into the best that you can be, make the weakest part of your game the strongest.
“You cannot run away from weakness. You must sometimes fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?” Robert Louis Stevenson
Have an AWE-full weekend!
Bill