Glen Gould describes hitting a game-winning home run in Little League, then reveals he made it up. He was actually an average player who rarely hit home runs. For decades he chose to remember the better version instead, which boosted his confidence and kept him loving baseball. He argues people can tell themselves empowering stories that actually improve how they play.
Take me out to the ballgame! Hey everybody, Glen Gould here again. Wanted to talk about the Little League World Series because this week is Little League World Series week, and I thought maybe it'd be fun if we shared our Little League stories. I'm gonna share mine with a little bit of a twist. Share your Little League story down in the comment section below. I think it would be fun if we kind of share our stories. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was, I was a good baseball player, really good baseball player, and I grew up in an apartment complex and there was a baseball field and a lot of us played baseball and then of course signed up for Little League and I was one of the better players. I'll never forget the one game that really stands out in my mind. It was the bottom of the 6th, and you know, back in Little League you only play 6 innings, and the game was tied. Back then we kept score. I know that sounds crazy now, right? But we kept score and our teams are tied and I'm up at bat. We're behind by a couple of runs and the bases are loaded and it's 2 outs and it's just me and that pitcher. And I don't even know what his name was, but I remember going up there and the coach said, listen, don't swing. Don't swing. Just, um, just, just, this guy's got to be nervous. He's gonna walk you. He's gonna walk the next guy. We're gonna win. Don't swing. He's too scared. So I went up there and of course, first thing I did was swing at the first pitch and coach called me over, he goes, "I told you not to swing. Don't swing." So I stood up there for a couple of pitches, 2 pitches, both balls, and I could tell he was nervous. Coach was right. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. He threw one right down the middle. I swung and I missed it. And the coach was furious. Boy, he called me back over. Listen, I'm not kidding. Don't you dare swing. I stood up there and the next one came and it was a terrible pitch and I stood there and so here we are, 3 balls, 2 strikes, bottom of the 6th. I mean, everything's riding on this, right? Coach looks at me and I can tell he's telling me don't swing. Pitch comes and I just couldn't help it. I just took a swing and I got lucky. I hit the ball and it soared over the fence and I ran the bases. I was so excited. So excited. I'd won the game. I walked into the dugout and the coach looked at me and said, "I told you not to swing! What are you doing?" And I said, "Coach, I couldn't help it. I'm not gonna be in the biggest game of my life and not take a swing for the fences." Now, of course, that's not really the way the story goes. Truth is, I was a pretty average player. I wasn't even average. I wasn't very good. I was, you know, one of the last guys taken for the baseball team. I practiced a lot. I wanted to be a good player, but I just wasn't. I only played one little little league season, and during that little league season I was the 8th batter in the lineup, and that's usually the guy that is not very good, but the coach tells you that, "Hey, you're batting second cleanup." Second cleanup never comes. And I was a catcher when I got to play, and of course that was because I was one of the bigger kids and I could block the ball. That was about it, right? I never hit a home run that was out over the fence. I did hit one foul ball that went over the fence maybe, but the truth is I did hit one inside-the-park home run. The only reason it was was because as I ran the bases, the other team kept throwing the ball away and I was able to go to the next base. I won the game ball for that game. I will never forget that. It was only because it was my turn to win the game ball. I really wasn't very good at baseball at all. But you see, here's the point. I can choose to remember that any way I want to and I won't hurt anybody. And for a long time in my life, I've remembered that I've hit a home run as a young lad playing baseball. I don't have to have all the other details. I hit a home run. So what lies are you telling yourself about you? Are they good ones? I'll bet they aren't. Most of us spend a lot of time telling ourselves negative stories about ourselves that hold us back and really probably aren't even true. If we're gonna tell some lies about ourselves, why not tell good lies? Why not see how that takes us? I'll tell you this much, for about 40 years I've remembered that I was a good baseball player, even though I wasn't. And it didn't hurt anybody, and it sure did help me because it kept me interested in baseball. It made me more confident when I was teaching my kids a little bit about T-ball, and it certainly made it a whole lot more fun to be around the baseball park. So good luck to everybody in the Little League World Series. Hope your team wins. You know, everybody wins if they just decide they did.
