What The Sandlot Taught Me About Risk ⚾️

I love movies. Always have. Christopher Nolan films, Liam Neesen action movies, even a cheesy rom-com. However, nothing tops The Sandlot. I’ve seen it over 40 times. It never fails. The nostalgia, the childlike joy, the play and freedom, the character development. It’s pure and rich with innocence.

One of my favorite scenes, though, is when Smalls accidentally hits his mom with a metal ball from machinery he’d been tinkering with all summer. Mrs. Smalls sits him down and says:

In other words: go, get outside, fall, live, fail, try, fail some more, get back up, play, fall again, go.

What a call-to-action to her son, who, in fear, would rather tinker with machinery in the safety of his room than take risks.

I was driving down the interstate the other day, thinking about that scene (I know, weird, right?), and it dawned on me that, in seasons, we can be no different, that I can be no different.

Do you see it?

Too often, like Smalls, we trade real adventure for tinkering with what doesn’t matter, all from a place of fear — fear of failure, fear of exposure, fear of embarrassment.

• Personally, we chase control with endless gaming. We seek safety in binge-watching. We dodge failure through doom-scrolling. All the while, life passes by with little vision and meaning.

• Corporately, we take roles that pay well, knowing it’s not a specific calling. We say no to opportunities that scare us. We shrink back rather than pursue others. We go on autopilot financially rather than learning to steward strategically and give radically.

Mrs. Smalls’ words were for her son, but they are for us too. A call to leave control and safety for wise risk. To trade mindless tinkering for meaningful work. To play, to chase vision, to embrace failure, to even pursue it.

And what is on the other side is a fuller life.

That’s exactly what Smalls discovers. Watch The Sandlot after he receives the call-to-action from his mom. He fails some, yes. But, he experiences a summer like he never has before, too. A summer filled with joy, friendship, camaraderie, challenge, adversity, growth, ownership, and more.

So in your life and work, ditch false comfort and mindless tinkering. Replace it with wise adventure. Get dirty. Climb trees. Hop fences. Try something new. Speak up. Say yes to the hard thing. Pursue a calling that aligns more with how God carefully crafted you, not just what pays well. Lead the group that makes your heart race. Give radically. Pursue others.

Like Smalls, what is on the other side is life to the fullest. Success, failure, lessons learned, adventures, camaraderie, growth, and, most importantly, surrender.

Play ball with your fears this week!

As always, let us know how we can help you navigate your world as you navigate the world.

In Your Corner.

See you next Tuesday!