The Nine Innings of The Curveball Life
Nine themes that tend to appear again and again as people figure out their direction, relationships, career and place in the world.
For many of us, sports provided our first real structure.
​
Practice schedules. Clear expectations. A sense of what progress looked like.
​
Eventually that structure goes away.
​
Life becomes something we have to build ourselves. Through decisions about work, relationships, priorities, and the kind of person we want to become.
​
Over time I started noticing certain themes that kept coming back around. They show up in different ways at different points in life.
​
I started thinking of them as the nine innings of the Curveball Life.
They aren’t steps. They aren’t a formula. They’re simply themes that tend to appear as people grow up and try to build a life with intention.
Failure
Sports teaches us early that effort matters.​ Life eventually teaches us that effort alone isn’t always enough.
Plans fall apart. Opportunities disappear. Things we thought would work don’t.
​
Learning how to respond to failure, without letting it define you, becomes one of the most important skills in life.
Pressure
Pressure rarely shows itself when you feel ready for it. Sometimes the stakes are low and you learn as you go.
​
Other times the stakes feel life-altering. And if you weren't prepared the pressure exposes it quickly.
​
Preparation doesn't guarantee the outcome. But it helps when the temperature rises and your pulse speeds up.
Courage
Change the text and make it your own. Click here to begin editing.
Criticism
When you put yourself out there, tough feedback can come with it.
​
Sometimes it’s helpful. Sometimes it’s not. Learning to listen without letting every opinion shape your direction is a skill that takes time to develop.
​
A lot of people spend years figuring out whose voices actually matter.
Teammates
Very few important decisions in life are made alone.
​
Friends influence how you think. Coworkers influence how you work. The person you marry influences nearly every part of your life.
​
The people you spend the most time with shape your character and direction.
​
The earlier you learn that, the better.
Ownership
Change the text and make it your own. Click here to begin editing.
Identity
Sports gives people a clear identity early in life.
​
Eventually that identity has to evolve. Careers change. Roles change. Circumstances change.
​
The real question becomes: who are you when the uniform comes off?
Leadership
Change the text and make it your own. Click here to begin editing.
The Long Game
Change the text and make it your own. Click here to begin editing.