How Will You Respond?

How Will You Respond?

"Get up and respond. Do something about it." - Coach Matt Deggs

One of the most important things we as humans have the chance to do every single day is respond. How do we respond to what life throws at us? Will we panic, will we get angry, will we get frustrated? Or will we take a deep breath, think things through, or be patient? You may be thinking to yourself, well Zach these are very simple answers, you either respond one way or the other. But it is much deeper than that. How we respond to adversity, dictates most likely how our outcome will be with the opportunity we are given.

For example, baseball is in my opinion the most difficult sport there is in this world. Why? Because it is a game of response. Every single pitch is different, and it is how you respond to each pitch that dictates the outcome. As a pitcher, after you strike a batter out, do you let that last pitch pump you up too much? If you do then you become vulnerable for this current pitch to be hit out of the ballpark. As a hitter, do you take a bad at bat out onto the field, and let it snowball on you and then you make an error? See what I am saying? It is how you respond. As simple as that. In life many decisions are based off of how we respond. Life is a game of responses. It is how we react to adversity that dictates what fate hands us. 

The question now is, how should you respond? Well there is a method to the madness. I read many psychological, mental game, and self-help books. I love books like this because, even though they may be about baseball, they also help with life. I like many others have anxiety, many of the techniques in these books have helped me keep my mind clear, and able to execute and be at my best. The book I am currently finishing up is "Heads Up Baseball 2.0." This book has a simple technique on how to compete, whether you are a pitcher, hitter, or fielder. If you are a baseball player, coach, or fan I highly recommend you to read it. It is excellent. But to me I have simplified down the message of the book to the Three C's. The Three C's are: Control, Commit, and Compete. 

Control

The control process of the Three C's is simple. You are simply trying to get control of yourself. Life and baseball throw many complex things at you. In the Three C process, control is the most important. Without having control of yourself, you cannot commit to anything or compete. To gain control of yourself, you simply breathe. Some things that you can do to gain control of yourself while breathing are: picking out a focal point to focus whenever you have lost control, take a double breath, or step away for a second and clear your thoughts. All three of these techniques can help you gain control of yourself so that you can be at 100 percent. 

Commit

The second part of the Three C's is commit. Commit simply means, get a plan in order. To get a plan in order you must visualize what you want to do. If you are a pitcher, you are thinking and then seeing yourself pitch the ball in a specific location. I suggest that you visualize because it gives you an extra boost of confidence in knowing that you can do it, because you have seen yourself do it. Seeing truly is believing, so I suggest visualization become part of your game, job, or lifestyle. 

Compete

The last part of the Three C process is to compete. This last ingredient, is the most simple part of the process because you are simply giving your best effort or 100 percent. But for some this is a hard thing to do. For many people now-a-days, they do not know how to compete. They do not trust themselves. Trust me, I know personally. But the Three C's are a life-changer because by the time that you get to the compete aspect of this process, you are in a full trust mode. You are prepared and ready to give your best effort. That is why it is so important in the first place to gain control of yourself, commit to a plan and see it for yourself in your mind. 

I would be mistaken if I didn't tell you that it is important for you to have your own routine. Use this Three C system, but make it your own. We as humans are unique. If we were all the same, then we would be robots. So be yourself. With this Three C system, you will respond to life more positively and have more purpose in whatever you may be doing. With that being said, I hope this Three C process brings you nothing but success and happiness. Life may throw you adversity, but don't give up. Respond with an attitude that says, I may not be at my best, but what I have today is more than enough to succeed and dominate the day.