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Beating the Odds

Impossible Journey

First picture this man in his mid-20s working as a night watchman in a Midwest pork and beans cannery. Now see him four decades later as one of the most influential sports figures in history.

Impossible, you say?

Not for Bill James. His passion for seeing inside baseball statistics brough him such notice that in 2006 Time Magazine voted him one of the top 100 influential people in the WORLD.

Today marks Day 12 of our 17-day multi-media seminar on “How to Do the Impossible.” I’m blogging here at Total Game Plan, and master motivator Dr. Rob Gilbert is delivering his daily message on his Success Hotline at (7973) 743-4690.

James did not set out to do the impossible. He merely wanted to ask some questions about the game he loved. Among other things, he wondered “What is the best way to measure the true value of a batter?”

But he more than just wonder. He worked to find out. He looked carefully at statistics, created theories, then published his thoughts.

He was a nobody in the baseball world. That did not stop him.

Hardly anyone bought his books at first. That didn’t stop him.

When big-league baseball finally noticed his theories, they did not readily accept them. That didn’t stop him.

Nothing stopped him.

James had used a formula that you can use: He found something he loved and gradually learned more than anyone else in the world about it.

Today James is no longer a baseball outsider. He worked in the front office of the Boston Red Sox, who had gone 86 years without winning a World Series. With James on their side, they have won three.

Do what James did: Find something you love, and learn more than anyone else about it. You never know where you will wind up.

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Thank you for visiting Total Game Plan. If your team, group or business needs a motivational speaker, please email coachtully @ totalgameplan.com. Here are some other resources for your success:

Think Better, Win More!” will give you a mental game to match your physical game.

To get better at anything, check out “The Improvement Factor: How Winners Turn Practice into Success.”

Need some motivation? Everyone needs it now and then. Open any page of “Thank God You’re Lazy! The Instant Cure for What’s Holding You Back” for a story or a quote to lift your spirits.

Are you a teacher, boss or sports coach? Here’s “Ten Things Great Coaches Know” by Mike Tully and Gary Pritchard.

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