Often, we get so caught up in our own goals that we forget to enjoy the day to day life of what we’re doing.

I’m not saying goals aren’t good. Of course they are. Striving for our goals is what makes us better than we were yesterday. But sometimes we get focused on the ultimate end result, we forget about the process.

In baseball, it’s easy to do nothing but dream on the major leagues. Minor league baseball life is rough, and no one would do it if they didn’t believe 100% that they could play in the bigs. It’s important to not lose sight of how cool the journey is though. The weird towns, the long days in the middle of the summer, the rain delays, the bus rides, and the shit hotels…we forget to savor those moments.

Your teammates, the people you work and live with constantly, those guys become your family, your brothers. Enjoy the relationships you are making. If you only judge your career by whether you make it to the big leagues, most will fail. Even the ones that do, how long do you get to play baseball? Until you’re 30? Maybe 40, if you’re super lucky? Most of us don’t get that lucky. Maybe a better way to evaluate it is whether you enjoyed the ride and made lifelong friends.

Baseball isn’t a popularity contest. I’m not suggesting you forget about your dreams and content yourself with making friends, but constantly being consumed by the results is going to make for an uneventful, short-lived career. I’ve talked before about confidence. You’re going to have bad days. If every bad day results in questioning whether you’re good enough to be here, your results are going to suffer as well. The quiet confidence and security that comes from knowing you are working a strong process and getting something out of the experience will translate at the plate.

Sure, maybe you had an 0-4 with 3 Ks. Those 0fers come and go, and no one really cares about them as much as you think. Maybe one of your teammates perfectly executed a bubble to the hat trick in the fifth inning.  You can focus on yourself, only worrying about getting your hits and filling that box score. Honestly, though, worrying about that shit is exhausting. It makes the days long and will drive you nuts. Go out there and congratulate your buddy for looking good. Notice the pitcher who came in and locked it down. Take a moment to say something to the catcher who threw perfectly to 2nd base.

Learn to embrace the suck of minor league baseball. Laugh at the annoying antic of the pitchers during BP. Stay in the moment even during those crazy road trips, the pre and post game spreads, sharing a room in a crappy hotel…you’ll get more out of the baseball experience than you could have ever imagined. It’s a bunch of twenty year old dudes getting to hang out and play baseball. Don’t make it more than that.

Baseball is way more than just those 9 innings day in and day out. It’s more than just the game. You can show up and stress about getting hits from the minute you get to the field until the time you leave. You’ll be miserable, and you won’t be able to handle the long season. If you let baseball consume your thoughts and emotions, it will. Staying mentally tough through September is what lets you come back and do this again, year after year.

Show up pumped to be with your boys, out there enjoying playing a game and testing yourself against the best. Your teammates won’t think any less of you if you have a bad day. If they do, they’re not going to be your teammate for long. When you get to the point where you enjoy each individual on your team and look for the good in them instead of the bad, your experience will be so much more than just a baseball career.