Living here in Arizona, we have the opportunity to see lots
of spring training games for major league baseball. It's
nicknamed the Cactus League and the season is just around
the corner. I love baseball, and like a lot of kids, when
I was growing up I played in little league.

Now I need to be honest. I was not a very good player. I
was fair at fielding, but pretty lousy when it game to
batting. I tended to strike out a lot. And that is also
how I saw myself, as a strikeout. As a result of that
mindset, I improved very little.

But one day at practice, the afternoon before a game, we
got some new baseball bats. I found a black bat that just
felt good to me. I can still see it today. It was a
Number 28, Yogi Berra. I just knew I could hit with this
bat. I believed I could.

So, when it was my turn for batting practice that day, I
hit the ball like I had never hit it before. My coach was
really impressed. He finally announced, "Good job, Mike,
you're starting the game tomorrow."

Wow! Starting the game? Me? That had never happened
before. Only the best players started the game. I was
excited. I was thrilled. I couldn't wait for tomorrow's
game. I wasn't going to strike out tomorrow. I finally
had a good bat, the 28, Yogi Berra. I could hardly contain
myself.

But then, just before practice was over, one of the other
kids on our team was using the 28, Yogi Berra bat. When he
hit the ball, the bat broke. I couldn't believe it!

I was shocked. I was stunned. What had just happened? How
could this have happened?

Suddenly all the excitement and anticipation for the
upcoming game was gone. In a moment of time, I went from
excitement and enthusiasm to dreading tomorrow's game. I
went home after practice feeling pretty discouraged. I
don't remember which bat I used the next day when it was my
turn to bat during the game, but I do remember that I
struck out, again. Do you know why I struck out again? At
the time, I was convinced that it was because I did not
have the 28, Yogi Berra bat. But that is not true.

The reality was that I was not a very good hitter. The
reason that I was not a very good hitter was that I had not
developed myself to become a better hitter. I had not put
in the time and effort needed to improve my batting skills.
And while that new black bat may have given me a little
more confidence, not having that bat was not the deciding
factor in me striking out.

Having good tools are important. I think we have all used
inferior tools at one time or another and would certainly
prefer to use the best tools that we can. But blaming the
tools that we use when we lack the ability is not taking
responsibility for our lives. You can have the best hammer
on the market and still smash your thumb. Would that be
the hammer's fault?

I'll never know what would have happened if I had used that
28, Yogi Berra bat in the game. I might have even struck
out again using that bat! What I did not realize back then
was that it wasn't a good bat that I needed. I needed to
put in the time, effort and energy to developing my skills.

I'm sure Tiger Woods is very particular about the golf
clubs he uses. But, if you're a golfer, do you think you
could outplay him if he used your clubs and you used his?
Got the point?

If you are going to be successful in life, then you cannot
blame other people, circumstances, or even the tools that
you use. Instead, take responsibility for your life by
developing the skills that you need.

About the Author:

Listen to one of Michael A. Verdicchio's Pep Talks at
http://www.MikesPepTalks.com/christians2free.html
Michael has a free newsletter called, THE PEP LETTER, at
http://www.christianinspirationalgifts.com/pepletter.html .
Michael is a husband, father, minister, author, and
broadcaster. He has been the voice on numerous productions
over the years.