Do the Right Thing. Then Do It Again.
Do the Right Thing. Then Do It Again.
When the New York Yankees won the world championship in 1998, they marked their season campaign by breaking the record for the most wins (125) of any team in any season in baseball history. Pitcher Andy Pettitte won the eighty-ninth game of this historic season against the Texas Rangers. In the seventh inning of this game, the Yankees were ahead 3-1 when Pettitte walked lead-off hitter Juan Gonzalez.
Will Clark hit a blooper between shortstop Derek Jeter and center fielder Bernie Williams. They ran toward each other, each trying to catch it, but the ball dropped. Williams picked it up. As Pettitte’s heart sank, he saw Tino Martinez, the Yankees’ first baseman, yelling for the ball at second base. In a split second, Williams realized the batter was halfway to second and threw it to Martinez for a pivotal out. That ended the inning and ultimately clinched the Yankees’ victory.
This fundamentally sound play by Martinez is an example of what it means to do the right thing again and again, regardless of an immediate payoff: “He had run this route hundreds of times in his career, just in case he was needed—and last night was the first time he could remember making an out as a result.”1
Martinez had repeatedly run from his position at first base in order to cover second base on similar blips to the outfield. It was tedious. It was boring. But it was the right thing to do even when, hundreds of times before, it never resulted in an out. One play on this one night influenced the outcome for one win that moved the Yankees toward perhaps the most successful season in baseball history.
Here’s the point: Keep going to second base. Keep doing the fundamentally right things regardless of whether they immediately pay off.
There’s a lot to be said about getting up every day and doing these things until at some point over time, we experience a victorious result. Great dreams, ideas, and futures don’t happen overnight; they manifest through perseverance.
There will be times when your ideas work and times when your ideas fail. There will be times when you experience good days and times when you suffer bad days. There will be times in your new business when your profit margins are really high and times when you wonder whether you are going to survive. Don’t lose hope!
“People who keep getting up every day, who keep growing, who keep learning, and who keep praying are ultimately going to keep winning.”
In the New Testament, James reminded us to mimic the farmer who patiently waits for the harvest and does not grumble (James 5:7-9). This can be a problem for me. When I have a dream and plant a seed, sometimes I find myself immediately standing over it, stomping the ground and yelling, “C’mon seed! Grow!” But I’m learning that I must have patience while the seed is in the ground.
I read a story about the influential president of a major Japanese company who was answering questions from a businesswoman. At that time, his company was flourishing in an extraordinary way.
QUESTION: “Mr. President, does your company have long-range goals?”
ANSWER: “Yes.”
QUESTION: “How long are your long-range goals?”
ANSWER: “Two hundred fifty years.”
QUESTION: “What do you need to carry them out?”
ANSWER: “Patience.”2
Too many people give up on their dreams too quickly. Part of being successful is sticking around long enough, doing the right things again and again, and nurturing a life environment that allows God, who makes things grow (2 Cor. 3:6), to show up and make dreams come true.
Think of a time when you had to keep going, even though it was hard—but it ultimately paid off. Drop a comment and tell us about it.
1 Buster Olney, “Star of the Night Act 89: This Time It’s Pettitte,” New York Times, August 15, 1998
2 Harvey Mackay, “If You Don’t Have a Destination, You’ll Never Get There,” June 5, 2012, https://harveymackay.com/if-you-dont-have-a-destination-youll-never-get-there/.
Adapted from Live Ten (Thomas Nelson) by Terry A. Smith. All rights reserved.
Are you familiar with “The 5 Welcomes of Hospitality,” based on the primary leadership methodology of Jesus? They’re featured in my book, The Hospitable Leader, but you can download a copy of “The 5 Welcomes of Hospitality” as my gift to you. Get your download.
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