Cal Ripken Jr. was a chameleon. OK, I know baseball fans are saying “No, he was an Oriole.” And that is true. Cal Ripken played 21 years for the Baltimore Orioles, becoming affectionately known as the Iron Man because of the consecutive game streak he achieved. Cal is probably best known for his consecutive game steak where he played in 2,632 games in a row, shattering the previous record held by Lou Gehrig of 2,131.
By playing every single game for 17 years, it is no stretch to say that Cal was a constant in the Orioles line up and for the franchise. The streak is a great example of dedication to a cause and to a strong work ethic. Yet as consistent as he was, he also was the source of constant change.
During his 21 years, the Hall of Famer made constant adjustments to his game in field and at the plate. It was most obvious at the plate, where his batting stance evolved throughout his entire career. https://youtu.be/EgcM8II7L4o
As he said in that video, “It’s all about success and results. And getting comfortable and being yourself.”
Baseball is a game of adjustments, and Ripken exemplifies that statement. Cal had success early on, winning the American League Rookie of the Year in 1982. But as his competition started to learn about his tendencies and started approaching him differently, Ripkens results changed. Instead of sticking to what had been successful for him, suddenly he had to take a different approach. It paid off for Cal, winning a World Series Championship and two MVP Awards during his storied career.
There are plenty of reasons for his success; hard work, natural talent, luck and more. But his willingness to adapt and adjust are the reasons for a two decades plus career that place him on a list with some of the best to ever play the game.
Success on the playing field, success in business and success in life all require the skills to self-reflect, adapt and adjust as needed based on the circumstances. It is easy to take the same approach this year that you have in the past. The disguise of complacency is that same approach might produce similar results in the short term. But as the environment around you change, and in the case of Ripken his aging body started to change, results can start to diminish.
The old definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. As has been illustrated millions of times in recorded history, different results will only come from adjustments and adaption - change.
Success at the plate came for Ripken through hard work, practice and dedication to his craft. He took to heart the need to make adjustments, even when he was seeing success, to keep himself at the top of his game. By making regular adjustments to his approach, Cal was able to be that constant presence in the Orioles line up for over 2,600 games in a row.
The same is true for us in our lives and in business. Self evaluation of what is working and what is not should occur regularly, and then you should adjust accordingly. Becoming a hall of famer is not a result of someone having success once. The title of being a hall of famer is the result of a sustained level of excellence. The same is true for living a hall of fame life.
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