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Striking Out



A strike out certainly has negative connotations attached. As “America’s Pastime,” baseball terminology has woven its way into our everyday language to a point that “strike out” has become nearly synonymous with failure. Timmy, who was recently rejected by a date, is said to have “really struck out with Lucy last week.” A bad product presentation at work might result in someone commenting that “Timmy really struck out with the board this morning.” (Timmy is having a rough week). As a person searches for new employment, one might remark “Lucy keeps striking out in the job market” (maybe the mounting frustration is why Lucy so heartlessly rejected Timmy in our first example). Similarly, someone on the brink of disaster is said to have “two strikes against him.”

As common as this colloquialism is, there is another very different meaning. “Striking out,” removed from the baseball analogy, can also refer to one heading in a particular direction or venturing out to pursue a new opportunity, as in, “After twelve years as an anonymous cog in the corporate wheel, Lucy is striking out on her own to start a new business.” (We are very excited for Lucy. Perhaps she will even give poor Timmy another chance.)

I feel these meanings, although quite different, are quite closely related in that the former cannot be removed from the experience of the latter. When “striking out” in a new, exciting venture, there will inevitably be plenty of “strike outs” along the way. But these “strike outs,” while they may represent a temporary setback, are certainly not indicative of impending long-term failure. Rather, they may be viewed as a normal, necessary step in the process of “striking out” towards a bigger goal. It’s part of the path. It’s inherent to the journey.

To go back to our baseball clichés, everyone wants to go out and “hit a home run”, and it would be preferable to do it “right off the bat.” But there’s probably a reason that four of the five “leaders” in career strike outs (as batters, of course) are also among the most prolific home run hitters of all time.

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