Commentary
Event + Response = Outcome is one of my favorite talks at BASE by Pros! This comes down to one thing… “What do I have control of?”
Plain and simple, this convicts me every single day to choose to find positive responses to all events. This also allows me to be aware of my response to situations. We put this formula into an easy to follow break down with our athletes. Let’s define each one first and then do some simple math.
I am challenged everyday that all I have control over is my response, both positive and negative. If this was introduced to me during my career I believe that I could have really had tools to handle the constant failure of the game of baseball.
Dream Big,
Lesson
We must take ownership for our lives. Regardless if things end up good or bad, we are 100% responsible. Take the laundry list of excuses that may have been collecting and throw them away.
EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME
The Event – Can be anything ranging from a friend’s behavior to how you are feeling. Events are basically anything that is outside of your control. We need to understand how an event is controlling our thinking and emotions, and think about how we want to control our thinking.
The Response – You get to make the choice! These occur all the time and you are in the driver’s seat. Your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all part of this response. Take ‘response-ability’ in all that you do.
The Outcome – There are zero guarantees here. This, like the events, is something we can’t control. This formula gives us a better opportunity to help shape the outcome in the direction we truly want.
Your Turn
Let’s do some scenarios and plug in the formula!
Create a value for an EVENT in baseball between +10 (Really Good) and -10 (Really Bad). Examples: Strike Out, Error, Home Run, Walk a Batter, Etc.
Let’s do a practice formula.
EVENT: Strike Out = -3
Now we need to create a response to that Strike out. Let’s say you throw your bat. What is that on the scale?
RESPONSE: Throw your bat = -8
Let’s do the math!
Strike Out (-3)
+ Throw the Bat (-7)
= Hurts the Team (-10)
Now that you understand the exercise, lets do the same thing but respond positively!
Strike Out (-3)
+ Tell Teammate What Pitcher Threw You (+7)
= Helps the team (+4)
Final Thoughts
What must we do?
- Don’t blame the Event for the lack of Outcome.
- Focus on how you choose to Respond.
- Embrace useful feedback.
- Continue to educate yourself and learn new skills.
- Everything we say, think, write, or act on needs to become intentional and aligned with the values, goals, and purpose we believe in.
