On October 1, 2023, Brandon Crawford played his final game in a San Francisco Giants jersey. After making his major league debut at the age of 24 in 2011, Brandon Crawford became a mainstay in San Francisco. A true pillar of the franchise, and something every great baseball team possesses - a consistent, reliable, presence at shortstop.
In 13 seasons as the San Francisco Giants shortstop, Brandon Crawford did it all. One of the best in the game - a three time all-star, four-time gold glove winner, and world champion in 2014.
As turbulent as the world can be, with all the changes and possibilities, for 13 years a Giants fan could depend on the one constant - Brandon Crawford at shortstop for the San Francisco Giants.
In this issue of How To Flourish we’re going to take a look at the only constant variable in life - time and its march forward.
“Senior Day” Experience
Back in the fall I showed this video of Brandon Crawford’s final game in a Giants uniform to a college basketball team I work with. (It’s a tear jerker and a video I still reference in my own life when I feel the dangerous slip into letting time drift away.)
In the quick 1 minute 25 seconds, we see Giants bench coach Kai Correa come to the mound to ceremoniously get Brandon Crawford and substitute him out toward the end of the last game of the season. It’s an age-old tradition often done on “senior day” in baseball and other sports. A chance for the crowd to celebrate someone’s contribution.
When I showed this video to this group of college basketball players I asked them what they noticed.
“What were the thoughts that came to mind when seeing the final moments of a storied career? What do you think it will be like when you’re done playing on this team and in this game? Think for a moment about what you’re witnessing. What’s in the video started in T-ball at age 4, went all the way through a successful high school playing career, college at UCLA , minor league ball, then 13 seasons at the major league level.”
Here’s what they said:
“It seemed like he was a great teammate.”
“Everyone seemed so happy for him.”
“I’m sure he’s thankful he did everything he could possibly do to be great.”
“He was so respected by fans, opponents, teammates, and coaches.”
The Clock Is Ticking
It may feel a bit cruel for us to think about but the reality is every single day of our lives there's an invisible clock running above our heads. It’s counting down and eventually the clock will hit zero.
00:00
And then it’s over. There will come a time when you’re not doing the things you’re doing now. You won’t pull into this parking lot. You won’t sit in the “big chair.” You won’t play on this team. You won’t have these teammates. You won’t be allowed to pursue the things you’re pursuing. Your key fob won’t get you into this building. You won’t wake up before the sun rises to unlock the weight room.
The clock will hit zero in each and every assignment we’re given in life. There’s parts of that reality that feel good. You won’t have to deal with some of the people or problems you deal with anymore. You won’t have to figure out how to move immovable rocks in your way as you engage with your team.
But I’m sure if you paused for a moment there are many things you’ll miss. Most importantly you may find that you miss the privilege it is to pursue high performance with an intentional focus.
The late legendary Heath High school baseball coach, Dave Klontz once told me “You live life forward and you understand it backwards.”
I have yet to encounter a person who while they understand life a little better, looks backwards and regrets spending their days with intentionality.
I’ve yet to encounter an older wiser person who says,
“Man, I wish I had been less intentional back in the day.”
“My deep regret is that I gave it my all with the finite time I had.”
I hear a lot of regrets around wishing we would’ve done more. The reality is most of the regrets I hear expressed center around missed opportunities to align our intention with our attention.
Intention = An aim or a plan (We get to set this by the way)
Attention = The direction in which your energy flows.
You Think You Have Time
Stephen Covey famously said “Begin with the end in mind.” Maybe you did that when you began the journey you’re on. But that may have been many exit ramps ago. Many years ago. Many games and at-bats ago.
Maybe it’s time to “Re-Center yourself with the end in mind.”
You think you have time. That you’ll “get to that” when the season is over. Or when the kids get out of the house. Or when you retire.
But if you’re not careful - you’re going to look up and you’ll run out of time. The clock marches toward 00:00. Your career is going to end.
Is your intention aligned with your attention? Is your aim or plan aligned with where your energy goes?
Is your energy going where it needs to be going these days?
Stop wasting precious time. Your “senior day” is approaching.
We’re all going to cross the foul lines one final time. We’ll walk to the clubhouse for the last time and that will be it.
It will be nice if people say kind things about you when you “walk off the field” for the last time.
But what will be better is leaning into the inner satisfaction that you did everything you could do to maximize the precious time you had.
You were faithful with what you had to give.
You left it all on the field. You did everything you could have possibly done to maximize your potential and the potential of your teammates.
The clock is ticking my friend - are you living as intentionally as you want to be today?
(Bookmark this video for when you need a pick-me-up).
Stay The Course,
