I coached American Legion baseball for many years and found it to be one of the best experiences of my life.  Today I realize that much of what I know about business I really learned in baseball.

Here’s an example:  The other day I talked to a man who was thinking about leaving a secure profession and entering the world of business.  He had access to a mountain spring and was going to bottle the water and sell to the world.  He had no business experience and was going to market head to head with the likes of Pepsi, Coke, Etc.  Hmmmmm…..

The lesson from baseball is this:  Only swing at the pitches you can hit.  If you swing at pitches in the dirt, you’re much more likely to strike out or ground out.  Baseball, like business, is about getting on base.  You can’t score if you can’t get on base.  And you can’t get on base if you’re swinging at pitches you can’t hit.

Let the pitches in the dirt go by.  Make the pitcher pitch to you.  Make him throw you something you can hit.  Don’t get suckered into swinging at a bad pitch.  Only swing at the ones you can hit.

Here is the original: Tecoris Management Group