As a non-college athlete, there aren't any study hours, there aren't any practices that force you to wake up early in the morning, and most importantly, you are not a part of a team, who for the most part has similar experiences and sees the world the same way you do. Therefore, you have to figure out your schedule, find your own fun and build your own team to be successful.
But even though I do not play baseball anymore, I can still apply the lessons I learned, especially in my relationships.
Just like in life, baseball is made up of seasons where sometimes everything is going right and sometimes everything is going wrong. You can hit the ball hard three times and get out three times, or you can hit three bloopers and get three hits. There is no rhyme or reason; it is just baseball.
The same forces that are at work in a baseball game are the same forces that are at work in real life. In life, you go through seasons where you are constantly surrounded by people and together you are having the best time. Then in other seasons you seem to spend a lot of time by yourself and you try to make the most of the situation.
However, one difference is that in life you are the coach, which gives you the power of picking the team around you.
If you think someone is too sensitive, cut them off. If you think that person is dishonest, cut them off. If you think that person is a flake, cut them off. If you think someone doesn't support your way of life, cut them off. If someone is not investing in the relationship as much as you are, cut them off.
The good news about life is that all of the starting players are picked by you, all of the recruiting is done by you, and all of the game time decisions are made by you.
Once you have this team picked, certainly new challenges will arise as you continue to grow into a full adult and that will cause strains in the relationship. For some stretches of the season, you can be batting a 1,000 — And for some stretches, you can get 1 hit in a 100 at-bats.
Some friends want to be your friend when you are at the top and crushing the ball because it makes them look better. On the contrary, some friends want to be your friend when you are in a slump because that's where they have been the whole season and it makes them look better. Your true friends will support you in both situations, not when it is in their best interest to do so.
Within your college career you will start to form friends at one stage in your life and if they stay long enough, then they will see you transition into another stage. If they disagree with the person you are becoming, how they handle that change is not your responsibility; the only responsibility that you owe to your friends, family, and yourself is being you 100 percent of the time.
