“It’s not enough to be great; you have to be great together.”

General Stanley McChrystal

Good morning, friends!  Did you wake up to a chill this morning?  I sure did; fall seems to be real.  Let’s not tally; let’s get to it!

It’s World Series time and I love baseball.  Tony Gwynn is one of my favorite players of all times; he was the best hitter of the past 50 years, maybe 100.  He averaged 20 strike outs per year for 10 years.  Most regular players have 20 or more per month.  He was more likely to have a four hit game than a two strike out game.  He batted .370 or better for a season three times; all the other great hitters of the past 80 years have combined to do it eight times.  He was, in the estimation of every knowledgeable baseball person, the best hitter they ever saw.  And he never won a World Series in twenty years of supreme excellence.

Most of us will never win a World Series either but we will strive for success.  And as hard as it is to achieve success doing it alone, solitary, apart is exponentially harder.  Consider all the important roles a partner in success plays: accountability, encouragement, support, restraint, honesty, protection…  The list goes on and on.  Imagine even trying to succeed without a partner, and then wonder with whom you would celebrate without a partner.  Partners, like reading, are fundamental.

To be sure I’m not talking here about marriage partners, although a spouse can surely fit the bill.  A partner can be any trusted and reliable companion.  What matters is that we not see ourselves as silos seeking success.  No matter how great you are or may become we live in a connected world.  Make the right connections, build a good team, find the right partner(s) and you magnify your chances of success.

• Who are your trusted and reliable companions focused on success?
• What roles do you need filled to help you succeed?
• Who can you add to your team to magnify your chances of success?

We all swing and miss once in a while.  What matters is that we keep batting.  And when we have the right team, be it one, two or three players, so long as all our needs are met, we have a much greater chance of big wins.  Build your team and succeed!  I have great faith in you.  Have a wonderful week.

Matthew 9:9-13