Success Lessons from Baseball - Enthusiasm And Excitement Can Make The Difference

I remember, about 35 years ago, reading two books by Frank Bettger, the baseball player, about how enthusiasm made all the difference in his life. His books made a difference in my life at the time and are still well worth reading and re-reading.

Probably the most famous of his books is "How I raised myself from failure to success in selling". Frank died in 1981 but his books and priceless ideas live on.

In 1907, he played baseball for Johnstown in Pennsylvania for $175 dollars a month. He was young and ambitious but was fired for being lazy. He was not really lazy but had been trying to control his nervousness by being laid back.

His manager told him: "Whatever you do after you leave here, for heaven's sake, wake yourself up and put some life and enthusiasm into your work."

Frank went to Chester, Pennsylvania where he played baseball for only $25 a month. Frank commented: "Well, I couldn't feel very enthusiastic on that kind of money but I began to act enthusiastic."

After a few days he was given a trial at New Haven, Connecticut. No one knew him in that league so he decided to establish a reputation for enthusiasm. Once established, he would be forced to live up to his own reputation:

"From the minute I appeared on the field I acted like a man electrified. I acted as though I were alive with a million batteries."

Frank threw the ball hard and fast around the diamond and ran like a madman to score for his team. All this was on a hot day when the thermometer was 100 degrees. The act he was putting on worked like magic.

His nervousness now worked for him by fueling his energy. His enthusiasm affected the other players on the field and they, too, became enthusiastic. He felt better during the game and after it than ever before.

Next day, the New Haven newspaper wrote: "This new player, Bettger, has a barrel of enthusiasm. He inspired our boys. They not only won the game but looked better than any time this season."

The papers began calling him "Pep" Bettger, the life of the team. Enthusiasm increased his income in ten days from $25 a month to $185 a month. This was a 700% increase.

Bettger insists that he earned the income not for his ability which was the same as before but for his enthusiasm alone. He could not catch or hit better than before. Two years later he was playing 3rd base for the St Louis Cardinals.

Another two years later, he injured his arm and was forced out of baseball. Two years after this, he ended up selling life insurance. He was a miserable failure at this until he went to a public speaking course run by the great Dale Carnegie. Carnegie, like his first manager, told him to be more enthusiastic.

Carnegie then went on to give a talk on enthusiasm to his class. He became so excited that he threw a chair against a wall and broke one of its legs. All this reminded Frank of his early experiences in the baseball world.

"That night, I decided to stay in the insurance business and put the same enthusiasm into selling that I had put into baseball."

During his first sales pitch after this decision, he became so excited that he pounded his fist. He could hardly believe it when his customer listened intently and then bought the insurance policy. He does not equate enthusiasm with fist pounding but "if fist pounding is what you need to arouse yourself inside, then I am overwhelmingly for it. I know this: When I force myself to act enthusiastic I soon feel enthusiastic."

Frank went on to become a great salesman and a man who has inspired many other salesmen and ordinary citizens to live their lives with enthusiasm.

A salesman who is enthusiastic can outsell a non enthusiastic salesman who has much greater knowledge. The enthusiastic person is like a magnet. He or she attracts and inspires others to do what they thought was beyond them.

You can acquire enthusiasm simply and quickly by forcing yourself to act enthusiastically. It also helps to re-read your favourite inspiring passages daily.

Frank, himself, was inspired by a great quote from Walter Chrysler. When Chrysler was asked to give the secret of success, he listed qualities such as 'ability, capacity, and energy' but added that the real secret was 'enthusiasm.'

"Yes, more than enthusiasm," said Chrysler, "I would say 'excitement'. I like to see men get excited. When they get excited, they get customers excited and we get business."

Enthusiasm can make a huge difference. We could all benefit by being enthusiastic about something that we currently find boring. We could be amazed at how excited we become and how skilful we become. We could also notice that the fire of our enthusiasm soon spreads to other people.

We could end up in the 'major leagues' of whatever we become enthusiastic about and we could have more friends, more fun and more money!

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams. They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now!" The book can be found at this URL http://www.motivationtoday.com

You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine so long as you do not alter it and keep the resource box as it is.

experienced cleaning professionals Northbrook ..
In The News:

Cybersecurity experts warn about one of the largest credential compilations ever found, urging users to check "Have I Been Pwned" and change passwords immediately.
Quick iPhone and Android battery optimization techniques help your device stay powered all day by turning off hidden features that secretly drain power in the background.
Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.
New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.
Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.
Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.
Learn how to use passkeys on Windows and Mac computers without cameras or fingerprint readers. Discover secure authentication methods that replace passwords.
Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.
A phishing email scam targeting American Express customers shows how cybercriminals use fake urgent messages to steal personal and financial information.
Facebook's new Meta AI feature analyzes your camera roll photos to create polished collages automatically, but requires cloud processing and raises privacy concerns.
A New Jersey teenager filed a major lawsuit against AI/Robotics Venture Strategy 3 Ltd. over ClothOff, an AI tool that created fake nude images from her social media photos.
Microsoft reports Storm-2657 cybercriminals sent phishing emails to 6,000 addresses at 25 universities to steal payroll credentials and redirect funds.
Astronomers have discovered asteroid 2025 SC79, a skyscraper-sized space rock orbiting the sun in just 128 days. the second-fastest known.
The Fox News AI Newsletter delivers the latest developments form the world of artificial intelligence, including the technology's challenges and opportunities.
A cyberattack on SimonMed Imaging exposed personal information of 1.2 million patients, including medical records, financial details and identity papers.
Spotify's managed accounts for kids under 13 now available in at least seven countries, allowing parents to filter and block explicit content and songs.
Friendly text conversations about BBQs and social events can lead to WEEX gold trading scams that target older adults with fake investment opportunities.
California company Skyeports creates self-healing glass spheres from Moon regolith that generate solar power and support plant growth for sustainable lunar living.
Cleafy researchers discover fake VPN streaming app Mobdro Pro that installs Klopatra banking Trojan, giving attackers full control over Android devices.
Police departments across the U.S. and Canada are adopting virtual reality training to better prepare officers for high-pressure, real-world situations.
House Bill 469 would prevent AI systems from owning property, serving as executives, or gaining legal personhood in Ohio under Representative Thaddeus Claggett's proposal.
Public voter records expose retirees' personal details to election scammers who create targeted cons using names, addresses, and voting history data.
Instead of fearing what comes next with artificial intelligence, think outside the box. Here are high-earning AI jobs that don't require a computer science degree.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says polite words like "please" and "thank you" cost millions annually, while direct prompts may improve ChatGPT accuracy by several points.
Chattee Chat and GiMe Chat exposed intimate conversations and photos, revealing users spent up to $18,000 on AI companions before the breach.

The 5-Minute Success Strategy - Transform Your Behavior Easily and Painlessly

Recently, I coached a young woman whom I'll call Mary... Read More

How To Stop Having Problems

If you are like me you have probably lost a... Read More

Top 10 Miraculous Benefits of Keeping a Personal Journal

In earlier generations it was common to keep a diary... Read More

The Impossible Dream

The 72,500 men, women and children sat in an uncomfortable... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Measure Twice, Cut Once

Measure twice, cut once Just as in carpentry, making sure... Read More

Listen Up

There is a close link between respect for another person's... Read More

Sharpen Your Saw by Continuously Learning

What does a sharp saw have to do with lifelong... Read More

Awaken to Something New in Your Life: Conscious Change

What do we want most from life? Certainly, we all... Read More

If NASA Can Launch The Space Shuttle, Then You Can Become A Successnaut

The recent mission of the space shuttle Discovery is NASA's... Read More

Self-confidence - How To Develop This Important Key to Success

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key... Read More

Hispanicus Economicus

Something's missing! As a Hispanic in this great country, I... Read More

There Is Room For Everyone At The Top

Do you believe that? Do you believe we can all... Read More

Do You Know Whats The #1 Success Secret Is?

How many people do you hear complaining about their job,... Read More

Two Great Success Tips - Read And Apply What You Learn And Do It Now!

Today I was glad that I had bothered to read... Read More

7 Tips for Success

In this article we mention 7 tips for your success.... Read More

People Are Who They Want To Be

Choice isn't always a matter of being able to choose... Read More

Why the Elephants Dont Run

A number of years ago, I had the rather unique... Read More

The Importance of Integrity

The single most important quality you can ever develop that... Read More

Are You Good Enough?

Several years ago, I attended a "success" seminar in northern... Read More

Trusting The Higher Self

As very few people achieve enlightenment in one lifetime, as... Read More

Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

They say that if you really want to stretch yourself... Read More

Success is a 6 Letter Word

Let me ask you a question? What must happen for... Read More

Success Through Work And Training

Most self-help truths are obvious but obvious truths are often... Read More

Sell Yourself to Be Successful in Life

If you want to be successful in life, business, or... Read More

7 Essential Body Language Tips

The secrets of our body language have been around forever... Read More

best value cleaning service Northbrook ..