If you have watched baseball games, you have seen a rundown or two. A base runner gets caught too far off base to retreat to safety and must attempt to avoid a tag by defensive players tossing the ball in an ever-enclosing space somewhere between bags. The base runner avoids the tag by reversing direction repeatedly. Sometimes, through good fortune or bad defensive ball handling, the runner retreats or advances successfully.
Being caught between bases is little different from being caught between lifestyle choices. There’s the safety of where one stands and the need or desire to get to the next accomplishment. College? To go or not to go followed by choosing one major over the next. Job? To stay or not to stay, leaving security for the unknowns based only on potential earnings. Love? To commit or not to commit based on intangible feelings. In some sense, we are all base runners. Apply it to your own life: Define the base where you are and the next base. Are you playing to advance?
Some base runners are highly aggressive; they take risks. If they have both the ability to run fast (the talent) and the knowledge of when to run, they advance or retreat successfully—but not always, of course. Getting caught between the safety of where one is and the need or desire to advance is not uncommon. But one never knows the joys of getting to the next base without some risk. Staying on second when the immediate goal is being on third base and closer to scoring leads to nothing but mere status quo.
No team scores runs with runners stranded on base. Advancing is the only way to win, and all advances entail some risk. Each of us has been caught in some rundown or another, but none of us has to be timid about taking a good lead off the base on which we now stand. Awareness of the defense, use of talent, and committing to the opportunity at hand leads to advancement.
All of us have a choice between staying put and taking some risk. None of us will get to the next base (or score) without risking a rundown.
Being caught between bases is little different from being caught between lifestyle choices. There’s the safety of where one stands and the need or desire to get to the next accomplishment. College? To go or not to go followed by choosing one major over the next. Job? To stay or not to stay, leaving security for the unknowns based only on potential earnings. Love? To commit or not to commit based on intangible feelings. In some sense, we are all base runners. Apply it to your own life: Define the base where you are and the next base. Are you playing to advance?
Some base runners are highly aggressive; they take risks. If they have both the ability to run fast (the talent) and the knowledge of when to run, they advance or retreat successfully—but not always, of course. Getting caught between the safety of where one is and the need or desire to advance is not uncommon. But one never knows the joys of getting to the next base without some risk. Staying on second when the immediate goal is being on third base and closer to scoring leads to nothing but mere status quo.
No team scores runs with runners stranded on base. Advancing is the only way to win, and all advances entail some risk. Each of us has been caught in some rundown or another, but none of us has to be timid about taking a good lead off the base on which we now stand. Awareness of the defense, use of talent, and committing to the opportunity at hand leads to advancement.
All of us have a choice between staying put and taking some risk. None of us will get to the next base (or score) without risking a rundown.
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