When I was in my mid twenties I joined a coed softball team. I had played fast pitch on the high school girls team, and at our first and only practice for the coed team, I went out and played like I had in high school and had a great time. (Yeah, it was the next day that was the problem, but that’s another story)
My team had asked me if I had ever played third base. Well, I hadn’t as I was a center fielder in school. They decided I should play third anyway since I was willing to give it a shot. At the first game I found I really liked playing third base and my new team was pleased to keep me there.
It wasn’t until about half way through the first season that I realized third base on a coed team was not a typical “girl” position. I found this out from watching the teams we were playing against. Most every one had a male on third. It had never occurred to me that I could not catch, field, and throw well enough to play that position with men on the team.
I believed I could catch a fly, or stop a grounder and be able to throw the runner out at first, if any of the guys hit a ball at me. And that’s the point. It wasn’t until I questioned my position that I got nervous and made errors. I had to remind myself that I had been perfectly capable of playing there before my realization.
Your beliefs can affect those around you too. Typically on a coed team they put the weakest girl as catcher and a guy as pitcher, so that the guy can cover home to help out. I recall a time that first season when the bases were loaded and the ball was a line drive right to me. I tagged my bag as the runner ran for home. In a fraction of a second I saw our girl was in position, standing on home plate with her glove in position in front of her.
Our eyes met, she knew I knew she was ready and was going to give her the ball. She saw no hesitation in my movement and when I threw the ball straight down the base line right past the runners ear directly into her glove, she held on to it and it was a sweet double play. Later she thanked me for throwing to her, but all I could tell her was there was no doubt in my mind that she would catch the ball, and it was the play to make.
The mind is extremely powerful. The beliefs that I had in my own ability showed up in my reality. When I believed I was the best person on that team for the position of third base, my contribution to the team was much greater than it was when I questioned if I should be there. And it took a reaffirmation of my belief to re-ground my ability to perform there.
Limiting beliefs can touch all of us. It’s recognizing them, and then what we do with them once we recognize them, that will make a difference in our life. What limiting beliefs do you hold about yourself? If you realize you have limiting beliefs about yourself that are holding you back, what would happen if you believed differently? What will you do to change your belief?
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