Your favorite team is down by five runs in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and your weakest hitter is at the plate.
The game is over, right? Not at all.
If you ask the wrong question, of course, you're done; you're toast; thanks for showing up but come back tomorrow.
What's the wrong question? That's easy: "How are we ever going to get five or six runs in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and our weakest hitter at the plate?' The answer to that would have to be "Forget it.
" One hitter can't knock in five or six runs all by himself.
The right question is: "How can our current hitter make the best decision as each pitch is thrown?' A series of individual decisions is the only way to come back from a deficit and to win games.
My Dad, a baseball nut and a former player in college and the minors, used to attend my games and when I was at bat, he'd call out: "It just takes ONE, Gary!" I knew what he meant.
One pitch can be the right one to hit.
One pitch can make the difference in walking or in striking out.
One pitch at a time is the way the game is played.
You couldn't get a pitcher to throw two balls at a time if you wanted to.
The game is set up one at a time.
Selling is the same way.
Generally, you'll pitch and close one at a time.
Worrying about your monthly quota or annual income is foolish and self-defeating before you visit a prospect or call him on the phone.
But if you treat this one right, focusing all of your attention where you should, the outcome will be favorable, and then the next, and then the next, and before long, you have a rally going and you start a long winning streak.
All of this boils down to focusing on one pitch at a time.
I know.
It's so simple, it's hard!