WRITTEN BY: Tim Windsor & Craig Minchin
Baseball—more specifically, two men who played the same game but led vastly different lives. One is the legendary Hank Aaron, a name synonymous with success. The other is Jeremy Brown, a name most people have never heard of. Yet both men offer profound lessons about perseverance, redefining success, and learning from what life throws at you, whether it’s a home run or a trip in the dirt.
The Legend of Hank Aaron: Persistence Pays Off
Hank Aaron, a name synonymous with baseball greatness, is celebrated for breaking Babe Ruth’s long-standing home run record in 1974. That night in Atlanta, in front of over 53,000 fans, Aaron hit his 715th home run, surpassing one of the most revered records in sports history. It was a moment of triumph for Aaron and for America, a symbol of racial progress as a Black man received a standing ovation in the heart of the Deep South.
Yet Aaron’s success wasn’t just about talent or athleticism—it was about persistence. He played through intense racial hostility and endured countless slumps during his career. His philosophy was simple but profound: “Just keep swinging the bat.”
Aaron’s approach to slumps, and by extension to life, resonates with me deeply. As a perfectionist, I’ve often struggled with the idea of failure. But Aaron’s message is clear: success isn’t avoiding failure—it’s persevering through it. Baseball, after all, is a sport in which failing seven out of ten times is considered an extraordinary achievement. If Hank Aaron’s story teaches us anything, it’s that persistence is vital. Keep swinging, even when the odds are against you.
Jeremy Brown: Finding Success in the Dirt
While Hank Aaron’s name is etched in the annals of sports history, Jeremy Brown’s is largely forgotten. Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2002, Brown spent most of his career in the minor leagues. His primary struggle? Fear. Specifically, a fear of going for second base.
Brown wasn’t the typical athlete. He carried some extra weight, lacked confidence, and was notorious for never attempting a double. But one night, everything changed. After hitting a powerful ball, Brown confronted his fear and went for second base. As he rounded first, however, he tripped over his feet and fell flat on his face, much to the crowd’s amusement.
What Brown didn’t know in that moment was that he had already hit a home run. As he scrambled back to first base, humiliated, the first base umpire signalled to him that he had succeeded beyond what he had imagined. Brown had misjudged his achievement, thinking he had failed when, in reality, he had hit the ball out of the park.
Brown’s story is a humbling reminder that success often looks different than expected. We might feel like we’re failing—embarrassed, defeated, crawling back to safety—when, in fact, we’ve already accomplished more than we realize. Success isn’t always about making it to second base; sometimes, it’s simply about going for it, stumbling, and discovering that we’ve already won.
REDEFINING SUCCESS AND FAILURE: LESSONS FROM THE BALL DIAMOND
While vastly different, Hank Aaron and Jeremy Brown’s stories challenge our conventional understanding of success. They teach us that success isn’t just about winning accolades or setting records. It’s about persistence, courage, and, often, a willingness to fail publicly and spectacularly. It’s about redefining what winning looks like in your own life. Here are some key takeaways that we all can apply to our journeys:
Persistence is Power: Success is rarely about talent alone—it’s about persistence. Hank Aaron reminds us that when you’re facing a slump, the solution is simple: keep swinging. Whether in business, relationships, or personal growth, persistence separates those who succeed from those who give up. Failure is a Part of Success: In baseball, even the greatest hitters fail more often than they succeed. Similarly, we must learn to accept failure as a natural and necessary part of the journey to success. Just like Aaron’s slumps, our failures are temporary setbacks, not the end of the story. Redefine Success on Your Terms: Jeremy Brown’s story powerfully illustrates how we often misjudge our own successes. Sometimes, what feels like a humiliating failure can actually be a victory in disguise. We need to rethink what success looks like for us, whether it’s hitting home runs or simply overcoming personal fears. Don’t Let Others Define Your Success: It’s easy to compare our achievements to others, especially when society has set certain benchmarks for success. But both Aaron and Brown show us that success is deeply personal. You must define success for yourself based on your values and goals, not someone else’s expectations. And … You May be Down, But You’re NOT OUT: Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to remind you of your victories when you’re down in the dirt. Just as the umpire signalled Brown’s home run when he couldn’t see it himself, we often need others to help us recognize our achievements and encourage us to keep going.
We all face slumps and stumbles, but success comes to those who dare to keep swinging and running, even when they don’t know if they’ll make it to second base—or beyond.
So, what about you? Are you still swinging? Are you still running? Are you chasing a version of success that doesn’t serve you anymore? Are you ready to redefine what winning looks like?
Remember, no matter where you are on your journey, sometimes you’ll hit the ball out of the park without even realizing it. Just keep swinging.
