The Harvey Dilemma

When two team are competing in a Championship, neither of which you care about, you look for intriguing story lines. On Monday, a nation of casual observers discovered Matt Harvey... the barrel-chested embodiment of determination who was destined to save New York from their far-superior opponent from the Mid-West.

For 8 innings Harvey threw strike outs, fist pumped and sat with half his ass on the bench chomping at the bit to get back out there and compete. As he was called upon to leave the game after the 8th inning, he refused to be removed. He charged the distance of the dugout to tell his Manager that he was not leaving the game to the behest of his pitching coach.

As Harvey emerged from the dugout to pitch the 9th inning, the crowd erupted. The man known as the Dark Knight was here to save Gotham... the greatest comeback in sports history was in motion.

Until he failed.....

Sports pundits will look upon The Dark Knight's failure in front of the world as an act of uninformed bravery. Those pumping their shoulders at the onset of the 9th inning, were shaking their heads mere moments later.

There are millions who will blame the foregone championship on Matt Harvey.

I think him a Hero!

... with every triumph there is the story of courage, resilience, self-confidence & risk taking....

Most people sit back and deflect the responsibility of their teams destiny to another. It is simple (in so many ways) to rely on statistics to validate decision making.

The world needs more people who are brave enough to risk being called stupid because they believe in themselves.

Dare to Try
I've had success in a variety of fields simply because I was willing to try. It's that simple, if you put yourself out there you are 80% of the way there. Then, all you have to do is work hard.

You can call Matt Harvey stupid for extending himself into the 9th inning, but at least he was bold enough to try.

Nobody can eat 50 eggs...!

Stick Up for Yourself
Our success relies on the support of others. We spend a good chunk of our time convincing others to follow our lead. Sure, data is important in defending our proposal, but passion matters just as much.

The romance has been lost.

We want to protect our spot in the pecking order by doing the safe thing.

If you know you are the best option, don't allow your passion to be delegated to another.

Take the reins... LEAD!

Hold Yourself Accountable
There cannot be results without a measurable plan. You'll need to track progress every day. If you know where you are going you can be far more confident in your ability to succeed.

Your future is more certain if you put yourself in control. Part of taking control is owning your results... as well as your failures.

I talked to a young person recently who told me young people don't like the word "accountability". The word, he felt, was based in a micro-management ethos that threatened people into results. Makes sense, but there is a downside to that line of thinking........

If you rescue a dog you still have to feed it.

Matt Harvey would have been heralded as a hero had he won that game (even if the Mets failed to beat the Royals in the 2 remaining games). Now, he has to live with the results of his decision.

He bet on himself and he lost!

That is life, a moment of blind optimism squashed by reality.

The Data Behind the Decision?
Maybe Harvey isn't crazy..... The Mets closer had blown 2 saves in the series already, the Royals bullpen was far superior, the Royals bats were far better in the late innings, the series would be heading back to Kansas City for 2 more games and he was pitching well.

Maybe Mr. Harvey just wanted to complete the game to give the people of New York, and believers in the power of sports, something to believe in (in this otherwise failure of a series).

Instead he fed the doubters and came out looking foolish.

Simply because he believed in himself enough to try.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave