It’s June, or as I will call it here, J.U.N.E., i.e., Just Unplug Negative Energy. To unplug is to pull out and disconnect. There are a lot of teams—everything from youth baseball teams to Fortune 500 companies—that look great from an outsider’s perspective because they win games.
But while they may be winning the game, their people are losing the war. The war at stake is for peace of mind. Too often, negative energy wins out.
At a young age, I understood that happiness was connected to making lots of money and being famous. That’s why I wanted to be a Major League Baseball player.
I’ve been retired as a professional baseball player for more than 25 years and now have peace of mind because I am living my life on purpose.
There are four questions I had to answer in order to live on purpose:
- What do you worry about?
- What do you dream about?
- What do you cry about?
- What brings you unconditional joy?
What are your answers to those questions?
My answer led me to my life mission to be significant by serving millions and bringing them into a relationship with Christ, starting with my wife, Kelli, and our daughters, Mackenzi and Mackenna.
Baseball brings me joy. Does it bring you joy?
June is a month of baseball when the skill set of players is constantly being tested because teams from all over the world are able to travel for tournament play. A lot of the negative energy that players feel comes from the unrealistic expectations they put on themselves, which is not matched by the work ethic, talent and experience required to be successful.
When they lack these things, their default often becomes:
- Maybe if I complain, I can get more playing time.
- Maybe if I blame my coach for me not getting enough swings at practice, I can justify why I’m not getting enough playing time.
- Maybe if I shame the kid that is playing ahead of me, I can feel better about not getting enough playing time.
Unplugging from negative energy makes it easy for your teammates, coaches and parents to support you. It also becomes easier for you to learn, perform and experience joy.
As Malcolm X once said,“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”
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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.
