The Iron Man

As the baseball season approaches the World Series, I thought it would be fitting to write this week's post about #8, Cal Ripen Jr. from the Baltimore Orioles. I had the honor of listening to him speak at a recent conference on how he approached life and his baseball career. His keynote speech came directly from his book, Get in the Game (8 elements of perseverance that make a difference).

The man that broke countless records, including Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played (Ripken 2,632), shared his wisdom with the group. He described the 8 elements of perseverance as his values and principles of how he lived his life.

1: The right approach (the right attitude and mission statement)

2: A strong will (to succeed)

3: Passion (love what you do)

4: Love to compete (internal with yourself and external with others)

5: Consistency (perform everyday and solve problems)

6: Conviction (stand up for what you believe in)

7: Strength (mental and physical)

8: Life management (balance of professional and personal)

We all have what we define as our core values and principles on how we choose to live our lives. You may live by integrity, compassion, motivation, service to others, kindness, humor, respect or courage. The list goes on and on. You may not even realize what all your core values are but you have them.

As Cal went through each element he connected it with stories of his life. Like me, the audience was drawn to his authenticity and ability to make us feel we were just like him. Guess what? We are. Our circumstances, backgrounds, opportunities and abilities may be different but we're all unique and special in our own right. He used his strengths, abilities and cores values to create a life well-lived. We have that same opportunity to create a life well-lived, even though everyone, including Cal Ripken Jr., experiences highs and lows. It's how we handle the lows that seem most important. It's in the hardest times, I believe we learn and grow the most.

If you're an Iron Man or simply, uniquely you, let your life be guided by your personal values and principles. Live your life well, treat others how you'd like to be treated, put forth your best effort, be passionate, stand up for what you believe, have faith in yourself and get up when you're knocked down. What do you want your legacy to be? Let your core values guide you.

xoxox.....Sheryl