“I collect images of walk-off home run hitters rounding third because they are an image of heaven.”
-Josh Noem, Aug 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/gardenoem/status/1028992022064054272
A few years ago I came across this image and accompanying tweet on X (then Twitter). Have a closer look and tell me there isn’t profundity there! I often tell my kids that sports are a microcosm of life, and there is much to learn about life through competing in sports. As I’ve grown older, I am ever more certain of this truth, and this image is a happy reminder of our participation in even deeper things.
When you first entered the workforce, perhaps you could see that business is the same. I have come to realize that I like business for many of the same reasons I like sports. We practice, we adjust, we plan, we compete, we lose, we win. If one is frustrated with his performance he can do something about it. If I don’t put in the work I can’t expect to win, and even if I do put in the work, there may be someone out there who has prepared and is performing better than me. Every once in a while, a lucky break comes along or some hard-luck occurrence sets me back – yet I can’t let either affect my focus. These are descriptors of sports, business, and, indeed, life.
This image, however, reminds us that amidst the turmoil and furor of battle we have fans and teammates cheering us to victory. Certainly the corporate team at Hallmark can be numbered among this lot. While we work for our franchisees, we also root for them as ardent fans. We are standing behind home plate on the field of play, and we anticipate that great spectacle of victory to be celebrated with them and the whole team! May the months ahead hold many such victories.