Baseball legend Ernie Banks had a famous saying: “Let’s play two!” Whenever there was a doubleheader coming up, he’d say, “It’s a great day for baseball, let’s play two!”
That kind of excitement can apply to anything we do in life. It’s all about the attitude, right? How often do you think about something you need to do and your first thought is, “Let’s do it twice!”?
“Awesome, a file audit—let’s go for round two!”
“Teeth cleaning? Sure, let’s make it a double!”
“Mowing the lawn? You bet, I’m doing it again!”
For most people, probably never! But this is a great way to tell if you really enjoy what you’re doing.
Instead of asking, “Do I want to do this twice?” ask yourself, “Would I be happy doing this twice?” If the answer is yes, then you know you’re doing something you love.
I enjoy recruiting, but do I want to recruit for the same job twice? Well, that depends. If I’m hiring for the same role because we lost a candidate, that’s not the best feeling. But if it’s because we need someone for a new position, then yeah, bring it on!
It all comes down to how you approach your work. Ernie Banks loved baseball so much he couldn’t wait to “play two.” And sure, baseball is a game, but we’ve all seen people turn something they love into a career and still enjoy it—while others might end up feeling burnt out. The job might be the same, but how they feel about it can make a big difference.
At the end of the day, the gap between someone who’s great at their job and someone who struggles often comes down to their attitude. Loving what you do and having a positive outlook can turn any task into something you’d happily do more than once.
I love this example! I have retired but it was so boring that I am consulting, and learning new things everyday to get the answers more easily, more logically and in a more concise way. Never quit learning about people, attitudes or strategies.