If you have stuck with reading my previous passion blog entries, you now know that success largely comes from controlling the mind. This blog will continue to elaborate on that in exploring the “cooler heads prevail” concept.

I am naturally a competitive person. I want to win, whether it is cards, baseball, football, or any game, I want to win. I am not special in this idea; It is human nature to want to win. But how one reacts to these things is what can set them apart.

What I did when I lost or won can be considered a pre-evolutionary response. Allow me to explain.

I had a very successful high school sporting career; I won a lot of the time. And as I have referenced in previous blogs, I was an emotional player. When something went well, I exploded in joy. And in 2021, things went better than just well.

I am referring to the year that I became the greatest baseball player ever (Not actually, but I was performing exceptionally). This was my first taste of varsity baseball and my first taste of success. I became addicted to it, and I became addicted to the results.

I can still remember rounding the bases and feeling high like morphine was being pumped through every vein in my body. This was a tremendous feeling, and I wanted everyone to share my excitement. So, whenever I did something well, I would raise my arms high in the air, I would say profane things to the other team, I would put my finger up to my mouth and silence the opposing crowd. I was a complete stud and a-hole. My dad knew this, so he would always tell me to keep a cool head and act like I’ve been there; that’s lame; why would I do that?

Well, I should have listened. He was right because in baseball and in life, things don’t always go your way. Unsurprisingly, things ended up not going my way. I had an off day, and the results I was addicted to disappeared. That euphoric rush from rounding the bases and demeaning the opposing team ceased to exist. Without that feeling, my confidence wavered, and I performed miserably compared to before.

But what if I had listened to my dad the first time? Maybe when I did something exceptional, I would stay even. Imagine my emotions as a straight line; that’s what being even is. By doing this, I could have removed myself from the results and focused more on executing. Whether I fail or succeed, my head would stay even and cool. And that is how you succeed in anything, just stay even.