Mariano Rivera showed up for his tryout with the Yankees with a hole in the toe of his cleat.
He was a 20-year-old high school dropout who spent his days working for his father’s fishing business. He didn’t know who Hank Aaron was and had never heard of Babe Ruth.
On the surface, he was the last person you would ever expect to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
He may have seemed clueless, but he had confidence. Even though his shoes had holes, he knew his game did not.
His gear may have been lacking, but didn’t have to be flashy to compete with the other prospects and impress the Yankee scouts.
His goal was to “keep it simple and get out of there quickly.”
Often we think the best equipment will make us successful. We think we need fancy toys to give us an edge.
Hi-tech tools alone won’t help you achieve your goals.
You do not have to own the newest Mac Book or an expensive WordPress theme to run a successful website. You do not need the best schooling to write a book. You can achieve your goals by following Rivera’s advice.
Keep it simple and get out of there quickly.
Rivera did not have years of baseball training. He played in alleys and on dirt fields in Panama. He honed his aim by with target practice on iguanas. True story.
He did not need a fancy glove or a new flat brimmed hat.
None of that mattered to the Yankees scouts. He won them over by choosing to “keep it simple and get out of there quickly.”
That phrase sums up Rivera’s Major League Baseball career. For 19 years in the big leagues, he kept it simple – generally only throwing one type of pitch – and he got out of there quickly – ending dozens of game in three short outs.
I could go on and on about Rivera’s illustrious career and the many lessons we can learn from the future Hall of Famer, but in order to take the pitcher’s advice, I am going to keep it simple and get out of here quickly.
The end.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
