Locke Wheeler

When i was a kid, my dad used to embarrass me on purpose. We'd be walking through a mall... Eating at a restaurant... Or at a county fair... And he'd look at me and say, "Dance." Right there. In front of everyone. As a kid, I thought he was crazy. I would get so mad. Years later, I finally understood what he was doing. He wasn't trying to embarrass me. He was teaching me not to fear embarrassment... And not worry what others thought of me. Because the moment you become afraid of what other people think... You become a prisoner. You stop taking chances. You stop expressing yourself. You stop becoming the person you're capable of being. I've seen it in my own life. The times I struggled the most...in baseball and in life...I was usually worried about everyone else's opinion. My coach... my teammates The times I performed my best... I didn't care. I was free. Now I see the same thing with some of the players I coach. They're talented enough. But they're afraid of looking bad. They're afraid of failing. They're afraid of what everyone else might think. So here's the lesson my dad passed down to me... And now I'm passing it down to you: The life you want is usually on the other side of embarrassment. The next time you have a decision to make, ask yourself: "Am I choosing this because it's right... or because I'm afraid of what other people will think?" Choose courage. It changes everything. Thank you for reading. - Jermaine Curtis P.S. If you enjoyed this, and thought it was helpful, share it.