This is a story of negativity at work. Rick Ankiel came back to the big leagues last night as the second hitter in the lineup. He then went on to hit a 3-run homerun for the St. Louis Cardinals. Coming back from adversity. People love this stuff. So how is this negativity at work?
For those of you who don’t know or remember Rick Ankiel, let me refresh your memory. As a rookie in the 2000 National League Division series against the Atlanta Braves, Rick had a pitching meltdown of epic proportions. Witness the following (via wikipedia, but I saw this so I know it’s not wikiality):
Maddux walked; Furcal popped to Clark in foul territory; Ankiel threw a wild pitch (Maddux to second); Ankiel threw a wild pitch (Maddux to third); A. Jones walked; Ankiel threw a wild pitch (A. Jones to 2nd); C. Jones was called out on strikes; Galarraga walked (Maddux scored on wild pitch by Ankiel; A. Jones to 3rd); Jordan singled to Lankford (A. Jones scored, Galarraga to 2nd); Ankiel threw a wild pitch (Galarraga to 3rd, Jordan to 2nd); Sanders walked; Weiss singled to Lankford (Galarraga scored, Jordan scored, Sanders to 2nd); Mike James replaced Ankiel; López popped to Viña; 4 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Braves 4, Cardinals 6.
Ugh.
But that wasn’t all.
Ankiel shrugged off the event at first, joking about the fact that he was the first pitcher to throw five wild pitches in an inning since Bert Cunningham of the Players League in 1890. But in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, Ankiel was removed in the first inning. Of only 20 pitches thrown by Ankiel, five went past catcher Eli Marrero, including two official wild pitches. Ankiel appeared again in the seventh inning of game five, facing four hitters, walking two, and throwing two more wild pitches. The Cardinals lost the series four games to one to the Mets.
Having such a collapse in the biggest games of his life can be devestating. But Rick used some negative thinking to keep his dream alive. What? Craig, are you crazy? He used a postive attitutde to keep him playing the game.
True. But he also used a heavy dose of negative thinking that most people wouldn’t use, since their egos wouldn’t allow it. Rick realized after trying to comeback from his postseason in hell, that he is not and could not be an effective major league pitcher.
So…he quit pitching.
One of the keys to using negative thinking for positive results is the ability to come to terms with your own inabilities. People have a hard time admitting they can’t do something. They feel they can do anything and will certainly try. This is the why first two episodes of American Idol are always getting huge ratings. It showcases far too many people with a lot of self-esteem and no talent.
BREAKING NEWS: It’s okay not to be good at something.
That’s life. Very few people are good at a lot of things. But that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. You just may have to refocus on what your talents are. You might have to delegate to, partner with or pay someone else who has the tools you don’t.
Rick took a good long look at himself and said, “I don’t have it as a pitcher.” Good thing his dream was to be a ballplayer not just a pitcher. If you can understand why you want a goal, a lot of the times other roads appear that will allow you to achieve them. Rick wanted to play baseball and having success as a pitcher, molded his idea of which avenue he should take. So he focused on pitching, pitching, pitching. When the day came that he realized he had gone down the wrong road to his goals, did he pack-up and start selling insurance (FYI – an admirable career choice)? No. He assessed his abilites, both pro and con and said “I’ll just go play in the outfield.”
You to may be going down a path that you may or may not be equipped for. It’s okay. Using a postive attitude to keep moving and negative thinking to help you make the right choices, can be a powerful 1-2 punch. So go out there and find out what you suck at.
And then…if you can’t get better at it…
DON’T DO IT ANYMORE!!
