Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
It was 130 years ago yesterday that Ernest Lawrence Thayer published his famous “Casey at the Bat” poem in the San Francisco Examiner. This long quoted story of a “Babe Ruthian” ballplayer who comes up short for his home team is legendary and is often referred back to when people don’t live up to their expectations or goals.
When the Mudville team was hoping to mount a rally in their last at-bat, the possibility of having the big-hitting Casey come to the plate seemed unlikely, especially after the first two batters made the first two outs of the inning.
But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake; and the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, for there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all; and Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.
So You’re Saying We’ve Got a Chance?
So Casey was going to get a chance after all, and the crowd was hoping and praying that the slugger would get the game-winning hit and send the team home victorious.
Called strike one.
Called strike two.
The crowd grows restless and hopes for a miracle on the next pitch…
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.
Yes, it’s true. Mighty Casey had struck out. It’s not how we want the story to end, but much like Rocky Balboa, the hero doesn’t always come through in the end.
Will You Bounce Back After Striking Out?
Who likes falling short of their goals and dreams? What happens when your effort has gone unrewarded and you might have let teammates or fans down? How do you react when you “strike out”?
I’ll tell you what you do; You wait for the next opportunity to occur and you make sure you’re ready to deliver. You don’t sit back and pout. You don’t blame teammates or circumstances outside of your control. You never blame the umpires, officials, referees or “luck.” You simply get back to what you were doing and keep trying.
If it was easy, everyone would do it.
A Modern Day “Casey”
Let’s pretend Casey is a Realtor (or mortgage officer, title rep, salesperson or simply an average human being)…
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the salesman that day:
Inventory was low and he had bills he needed to pay.
His buyer pool was dry and the FSBO he was talking to was a jerk,
A pall-like silence fell upon the office where he worked.Yet there was ease in Casey’s manner as he dialed again
Confidence filled Casey’s voice, he knew one in every ten
Of the contacts he did make, would give a hearty “yes”
So he kept on calling folks he knew, always thinking of success.The ringing phone was answered and the homeowner began the conversation.
Casey said, “The market’s hot, would you like a home evaluation?”
The person was getting older and was thinking of retiring.
If he sold his house this year, a Realtor needed hiring.Casey confidently responded, “let’s get together to discuss your situation,”
and proceeded to set up a listing presentation.
He studied hard, he ran the comps and readied his projections;
He polished up on his handling of the most common of objections.The meeting with the Seller went off with nary a question or concern
It wouldn’t be long before a well-deserved commission would be earned.
With the staging all done, Casey hung his “Coming Soon” sign
The Open House was so crowded, the front door had a line.The feedback was positive and every guest seemed quite nice,
The offers flew in and went way above asking price.
The terms were decided so Casey did contact
The winning agent to tell them “Congrats, we’re in contract.”Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere brokers are laughing, and somewhere Realtors smiling,
There IS joy today in Mudville because mighty Casey kept on dialing.
Have a great week building relationship, solving problems and having fun. And when you’re behind in the count stay focused and keep swinging. That’s how you get on base and who knows…every once in a while, you might even hit a home run!
Photo Credit: Eduardo Balderas