New Yorkers love him. Athletes respect him. Opposing pitchers fear him. Yet, seemingly no one hates him. How can such a successful sports star in New York City for twenty years gain so much fame, recognition and success without the counterbalance of jealousy, ire, and venomous anger of fans and other athletes?
Walk the streets of New York and you will be hard pressed to find a bad word spoken of the great Yankee Captain. Say what you will about his game, but New Yorkers and fans across the country recognized something in him that resonated beyond the sport. This is why you should conduct business like Derek Jeter.
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do – and I believe that.” -Derek Jeter
Perhaps Derek Jeter’s most singularly defining characteristic is his work ethic. It can be seen every night at the stadium, as he hustles out routine groundballs at age forty, when his tired legs are surely barking for a break. But taking it easy just wouldn’t be Derek Jeter. He is to work ethic what Alex Rodriguez is to vanity. They go hand in hand.
Derek Jeter wasn’t the first overall pick. He wasn’t the best fielder in the minors. He had to work at it. And that is really where his talent lies. Remind yourself of that work ethic when you find yourself faltering. When the late nights start to wear you down, think of the grueling 162 game seasons, and the man that has played the most games ever in pinstripes.
“I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.”
-Derek Jeter
Doubt is fuel, either to fan the flames of desire or to burn up your dreams before they can be achieved. Jeter uses the doubters to find yet another competitive edge. Who doubts your start-ups validity? Who believes your entrepreneurship is ill-fated? Who thinks your small business is headed towards failure? Think of them. The things they say and the ways they act. Then set about proving them wrong. Damning the doubters can give you a fresh perspective to attack the insurmountable tasks ahead of you. It is not petty to be inspired by the nonbelievers. Quite the opposite in fact; belief in yourself is what you need to rise above the noise, so use the noise to fuel your desire.
“You gotta have fun. Regardless of how you look at it, we’re playing a game. It’s a business, it’s our job, but I don’t think you can do well unless you’re having fun.”
-Derek Jeter
Remember why you got in this business. If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, you are likely pursuing a passion or some derivation of it. It is easy to get lost in the business side of it. But as The Captain reminds us, it is important to be having fun too. Don’t lose sight of your real goal of a life of fulfillment and enjoyment in expense reports and red or black ink.
“When you put a lot of hard work into one goal and you achieve it, that’s a really good feeling.”
-Derek Jeter
Something that is becoming increasingly rare in our instant gratification culture is the incentive of delayed rewards. Putting in a lot of hard work upfront and living a more rigorous life than we might have to, in the hopes of achieving a larger goal is lost in the din of Snapchats, Instagram, and Seamless delivery. But DJ puts it very simply, yet eloquently. It is, “a really good feeling” when you have paid for your success through diligence, thoroughness and perseverance. Victory is always sweeter when it was hard fought.
“I went to school on Senior Skip Day.”
-Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter was that guy. And you should be too. His persistence and dedication has allowed him to break all time records and achieve greatness. So next time you are thinking about doing it because everyone else is doing it, think again, that is precisely why you shouldn’t.
“We just want to win. That’s the bottom line. I think a lot of times people may become content with one championship or a little bit of success, but we don’t really reflect on what we’ve done in the past. We focus on the present.”
-Derek Jeter
They say the best baseball players have the shortest memories, which makes sense in a sport where failure seven out of ten times is considered good. We have all failed and must learn from them to ultimately look beyond them.
But even more so, Derek Jeter teaches us that one success does not amount to anything more than simply one success. He acknowledges it, and quickly puts it where it belongs, the past. Then, in the present, continues to seek out continued success. Don’t rest on your past achievements expecting them to sustain your career. Strive to achieve more. And more. And more. Just like Derek Jeter does.
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