Leave It Better Than You Found It
What can a group of misfits do together?
13 years ago they changed the culture of a baseball program seemingly overnight. They knew they accomplished something special. It was the best season in University of Southern Indiana (USI) baseball history:
- Program record 43 wins
- First NCAA II Midwest Regional Championship
- Made the program’s first appearance in NCAA II Baseball Championship (3rd place)
But at that time they didn’t know what they started. In the span of a decade:
- 7 Regional appearances
- 4 Regional Championships
- 2 National Championships
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.
– Babe Ruth
Set the foundation for the future
Going through life you look towards the future. Looking for the next promotion or raise at work. Moving to a new place for a change of scenery. Finding the person of your dreams. Winning a championship.
Actions compound over time in work, life, relationships, and sports. Focusing on the future you can forget to be in the moment. The daily actions you take seem small and unnoticeable. But done right they lay the foundation.
A foundation for who you’ll be in 10 years.
A foundation for the person who’ll do your job next.
A foundation for the kid who’ll want to be like you when they grow up.
Celebrate your success
I made the 2.5 hour drive down I-69 to Evansville in February. To celebrate again. That group of misfits was a 2020 USI Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. It was a quick weekend that brought back memories.
A new baseball opportunity for me. Losing to Junior College teams during fall baseball. Winning a series against a solid program and realizing what we were capable of. Running for eternity and diving to make “The Catch” in Regionals. Watching our 3rd baseman double pump before throwing a missile to 1st base for the final out–sending us to the World Series. Laying a foundation for the future.
We were the first baseball team to go in the Hall of Fame–but won’t be the last.
And that’s how you leave it better than you found it.
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