Thank God. It’s Fundamental Friday. This weekly article will venture into the fundamental elements of a variety of aspects of our lives and present the questions to us all, “Are we fundamentally sound?”
The concept of being fundamentally sound can also be interpreted as being equipped and prepared to overcome an obstacle. At some point we must all realized that obstacles are mere opportunity hidden in the midst of a difficult situation. Then we will realize it our foundation based on fundamental soundness that allows us to successfully navigate these situations with a positive outcome.
Tenacity, Technique and Timing are some of the elements required to be fundamentally sound. Tenacity is the quality or fact of being very determined. This quality or determination is not an element that is taught, but rather a quality that is within each of us. In some cases individuals have to be motivated by outside influences and in other cases individuals are self-motivated.
Technique is a way of carrying out a particular task, especially the execution or performance of an artistic work. Unlike tenacity, technique is taught. The perfecting of any technique is directly impacted by an individual’s commitment and desire.
Lastly, there is timing. Timing is the choice, judgement, or control of when something should be done. This is a vital element of success, because all the tenacity and technique one might have can be rendered useless if it is not implemented at the proper time. Tenacity and Technique are preparation elements and timing is the execution element that provides positive results.
The art of hitting a baseball demonstrates the positive results of tenacity, technique and timing. It begins with a determination or strong desire to hit the ball. This desire provides the adrenalin rush that enhances our abilities. The enhancement of this ability is only as good as our technique.
Teaching and training in the art of hitting a baseball begins with your stance. Feet and shoulders are spread wide apart, knees slightly bent and hands positioned on the back in which your knuckles line up. The hands are pulled through the strike zone with the bat head rotating out front to meet the ball at the front of the plate with both arms extended. This is a technique that requires practice to make perfect. The key is proper practice, doing the technique correctly, which leads to perfection.
Perfection is not hitting a home run at every at bat, but swinging the bat with the same stroke consistently.
Timing is critical because the ball has to be hit at a particular point in which the head of the bat meets the ball.
Timing initially is controlled by the pitcher. Nothing begins until the pitcher pitches the ball. Once the ball is pitched, the control of timing shifts from the pitcher to the batter. The swinging of the bat in conjunction with the speed of the ball requires a timing skill that produces results that good hitters enjoy one out of three at-bats.
In life, we have families, job and other responsibilities that require these same elements in order of us to reach the results that we desire. We have to be filled with a determination that can be either self-motivated or motivated by others. Without tenacity, it is extremely difficult to persevere through in tough times that we conveniently refer in this article as obstacles.
The challenges of life awaits us and it is our determination that allows us to move intentionally with purpose. Motivation is a factor that aides in establishing and maintaining a required level of tenacity that matches and/or exceed the situation(s) we need to overcome.
The techniques required to deal with our families, jobs and other responsibilities will vary. Since techniques are taught, it is up to us to find the training materials suitable for each area in our lives. Locating these techniques is not enough, we must then enter into a training regimen that allows us to master the technique. By mastery, we simply mean that our action or reaction is second nature, complete without thinking about it. Similar to breathing. We don’t think about breathing, we just do it.
Lastly, it is timing. “By failing to prepare, we are preparing to fail.” Basically, opportunities are only opportunities if we are prepared to take advantage of them. Preparation is our determination and technique. Timing is implementing a particular technique at the appropriate time to reach maximum satisfactory results. Opportunities become obstacles when we are not prepared for them.
Let’s use the aspects of Tenacity, Technique and Timing to make every obstacle in our lives an opportunity in which we control the results. Our foundation must be built on fundamentals that allows us to always be prepared for every situation. Are you fundamentally sound?
I am Ricardo Pryor, “The Motivator.” My education in mathematics combined with my coaching / mentoring expertise has provided an opportunity for me to visualize and incorporate the fundamentals of life, sports and faith to create a strong foundation for success. It is my goal to motivate other to master the fundamentals in order to reach a level of success built on an indestructible foundation.