by Judd Hoekstra & Rick Peterson

WHEN IT COMES TO KEEPING New Year’s Resolutions, the stats aren’t good. Surveys show that while some 40 percent of us make them, only 8 percent of us keep them. We may feel exhilarated when we set a big goal, but that soon gives way to anxiety. While we all want to get better, lofty goals don’t always help.

There is a way to set goals and achieve them. It comes from Rick Peterson, the former Major League Baseball pitching coach (of Moneyball fame), who guided the New York Mets and the Oakland A’s to great success. He did it by getting his pitchers to scale back their goals from lofty to bite-sized, from outcome to process. His mantra, “Hit the glove,” was not only powerful and effective, it translates well beyond professional baseball. [Read more…]

by Judd Hoekstra & Rick Peterson

You’ve likely read the dismal statistics when it comes to keeping New Year’s resolutions (surveys show only 8% of people keep their resolutions). While there may be some initial excitement or motivation by creating a lofty goal for the year, this excitement is often quickly replaced by anxiety.

Let me share with you a different and better approach I learned from Rick Peterson, former Major League Baseball pitching coach with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers as well as the Oakland A’s of Moneyball fame. [Read more…]

by Judd Hoekstra & Rick Peterson

The following is an excerpt from Crunch Time: How to Be Your Best When It Matters Most, being released on January 23, 2017.

More than most endeavors in life, baseball is riddled with failure. Hitters are considered great if they get a hit just three times out of ten. The baseball box score serves as a daily performance report, highlighting the successes and failures of every player. In the case of major leaguers, their failures are on display publicly to fans in the thousands and sometimes millions.

While all baseball players know no one succeeds all of the time, the best players have figured out how to respond to the inevitable failures in a way that makes them better. [Read more…]