Did you know that Hank Aaron struck out almost 1400 times in his career? I’ll bet you didn’t. Why is that number not well known? It’s because he’s so well known for hitting 755 home runs. If you look at the list of career strikeout leaders, it’s like a Hall of Fame roll call, with names like Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, and Babe Ruth. Even a casual baseball fan knows these names and diehard fans can tell you all about their various accomplishments, including tons of homeruns. So why doesn’t anyone talk about all those strikeouts? I believe it’s because most folks understand that when you swing for the fences, sometimes you’re gonna miss. An above average hitter gets a hit 3 out of 10 times. That means they FAIL 70% of the time. For true power hitters, the failure rate is even higher. But instead of focusing on what these players didn’t do, they are remembered for the towering home runs they hit. These players know one thing for sure: you can’t hit it out of the park if you don’t take the bat off your shoulder. In business, we see far too many people who are scared to swing, afraid they might strike out, so they don’t even try to get a hit. Guess what? They never strikeout. They also NEVER hit any homeruns. Have you ever had an idea that you did nothing with? Of course, we all have. Did that idea work out for you? No, because you never took the bat off your shoulder. Successful people act on their ideas, realizing that they will never hit a homerun if they’re afraid of striking out. Someone once said, “The road to success has plenty of parking spaces.” Don’t be one of the numerous business people who pull into one of those parking spaces, while the successful drive on by. Challenge yourself to swing for the fences in your business, and maybe one day you’ll be known for hitting “homeruns” too.