Paulo Coelho once said, “Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”

Who’s your favorite MLB hitter?

Mine is Mookie Betts. Standing at 5 feet 9 inches tall, he is arguably the greatest offensive threat in the Major Leagues.

I’ve played professional baseball and I have coached more than 40 MLB hitters, and I can tell you that Mookie seems to play the entire MLB season in maintenance mode.

I have four phases of development that my amateur hitters navigate through in order to become Major League hitters and May through July is the maintenance phase.

It takes about three months for amateurs to do what could be done in three days to three weeks for Major Leaguers. The difference is that pros rely on skills, while amateurs rely on talent.

Talent is doing things well. A habit is doing things well repeatedly without thought. Skills is doing things well without thought while under stress.

People with skills welcome adversity while amateurs run from it. People with skills can name specific problems they are experiencing and claim responsibility for their failure, while amateurs often complain and blame.

• Do you have hitting skills?
• How did you develop them?
• What do you do to maintain them?

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.

What do you dream about?

What do you worry about?

What do you cry about?

What brings your joy?

When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a Major League Baseball Player for the Chicago Cubs. I watched a lot of Cubs games with my grandfather during the summertime in the ’80s.

Playing baseball was the one thing that brought me the most joy when I watched it on TV, as well as when I played. I was fortunate to be drafted twice by the Chicago Cubs and played two years professionally in the Cubs minor leagues.

I was born and raised in Atlanta, where Hank Aaron was one of my favorite players. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born and raised in Atlanta like me. As a child, I was drawn to his tireless fight for the rights of Black people.

At age 46, I am a Major League Citizen because I am willing and able to use my success to serve others. Because of my time in baseball, I still use the life lessons I learned on the baseball field to empower an at-risk generation to lead and transform their City of Atlanta. I use the sport of baseball to teach them how to overcome the three curveballs that threaten their success: crime, poverty and racism.

My wife, Kelli, and I also own Diamond Directors, which provides a blueprint of success for diamond sport athletes.

As I have alluded in the past, maybe’s are used to indicate uncertainty or possibility. Use these final days of May to answer the four questions I mentioned above and use your answers as a guide to success and significance.

Success is what you get. Significance is what you give.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.