A Little Leaguer

I know of a little leaguer who is having a difficult time adjusting from the pitching of the minor league to the pitching of the major league. For several little leaguers who make the transition from the minor league to major league, the pitchers just seem to be too overpowering. Struggling at the plate causes the little leaguers to begin to question their ability. This questioning leads to doubt, which ultimately leads to weakening of self-confidence and in some cases, if not put in check, a deterioration of self-esteem.

It is important to understand the differences between self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-confidence comes from mastery of a skill through repeated trials. The more you do something, the better you get; the better you get the more self-confidence you gain. Self confidence is event specific. Self-esteem, however, is not event specific. Rather, self-esteem is a general perspective of how you view yourself as a person.

Can you have high self-confidence and low self-esteem? In the professional sports world it's not uncommon to find athletes who possess a high degree of self-confidence but suffer from having low self esteem. Athletes with a high degree of self-confidence, but low self esteem are generally noticeable because of their cocky behavior. Their cockiness demonstrates their need to draw attention to themselves. The attention gives the athlete a sense of being valued. Sadly enough, the value is placed only on their success as an athlete and not as a person. These athletes, through talent and repetition, become extremely self-confident with their athletic ability, but generally don't like themselves as a person. No athlete demonstrates this dichotomy more so than former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson excelled in boxing. He was known as "Iron Mike" and "The Baddest Man on the Planet." While Mike Tyson was extremely confident in his abilities as a boxer, his personal life was in shambles. Tyson's first marriage ended in divorce, after allegations of violence and physical abuse. In 1992 he was convicted of rape and served three years in prison. After making more than 300 million dollars during his career, he filed for bankruptcy in 2003. Mike Tyson constantly did things to sabotage his personal life. Simply put, "Mike didn't like Mike." Tyson's self-confidence in the ring wasn't enough counteract his negative self-esteem. In 2005 Tyson was quoted as saying, "My whole life has been a waste. I've been a failure. I just want to escape." Mike Tyson's self confidence made him a champion is the ring; his self-esteem made him a loser in life. Because of his low self-esteem he was not mentally, emotionally or spiritually fit to handle the rewards, notoriety or pressures of being a sports icon.

How about you? Are you doing things to sabotage your life? If you find that you have low self-esteem, today is the day to begin developing a greater awareness of yourself. Begin by doing a realistic assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Find ways to maximize your strengths and improve in areas where improvement is needed. Be easy on yourself; you can't be great at everything. Although you may be good at some things; do not allow those things to define you. Look at your life from a universal perspective. Do not allow one aspect of your life to dominate another. Live a balanced personal, professional, social and spiritual life. Begin today by saying "I'm a worthy person and I like myself." Make it a point to say this affirmation a minimum of 30 times a day. At first, it may seem odd. However, the more you do it, the more comfortable you will become, and the more comfortable you become, the more confidently you will be able to say it. Eventually, you'll find that you really do like yourself. The more you like your self, the more you will appreciate your strengths and accept your limitations. This is turn leads to a happier and more fulfilling life.

As far as the little leaguer, we will work on his self-confidence by taking a lot of extra batting practice. As far as his self-esteem goes, he will be reminded on a daily basis of the following, none which have anything to do with baseball:

How much he is loved;
How special he is;

How much talent he has;

How much potential he has;

All of his accomplishments, be them big or small;

And, most of all, that he is a gift from above!

Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!

MJD