Sometimes it happens when no one is around.

Sometimes it happens when everyone is watching.

It can occur in a place you expect…

Although it has a tendency to occur when you least expect it.

And as strange as it seems…

At times you may not realize it at first.

Yet…

It’s likely you will know, even though you may not be able to exactly pinpoint it at first.

However…

No matter how you find out about it, it becomes the pivot point from which your life—as you knew it and moving forward—is never the same.

And this has to do with those certain moments you experience in your life.

Now you may think I’m referring to your defining moment. In some ways…yes.

But there’s something else…and it has to do with you in that moment.

Naturally this bring up a question and one that you have the answer to, even though you may say you don’t right now.

And by the time you finish reading this you’ll have that answer.

First the question…

What moment defines who you really are?

1. Giving up or getting up

The moment still stands out for me. While I knew it applied to what I was doing at the time, I wasn’t aware that it would stay with me and be the driving force for the rest of my life.

And this all came about after being hit by a baseball traveling between 80-90 miles per hour.

Back in high school when I was 16 I went out for the baseball team.

I got into fitness and worked out for 4 months in preparation for the tryouts.

The tryouts were for 3 weeks.

You had to make two “cuts” to make the team.

I made the first cut.

When the day came for the final cuts and who made the team, the coach read off the names of the kids who didn’t make the team.

He read all the names…stopped…and since he didn’t read my name I thought I made the team.

Then he read off my name…and cut me.

In that moment he said, “you have more guts than anyone I’ve ever seen. Come out for the team next year and you’ll probably make it.”

I’ve shared this story before.

However…

What I’ve rarely shared was the incident that likely led to him saying that…when I got hit with that 80-90 mile per hour baseball…the moment that defines who I really am.

When I got hit by that baseball…which was thrown by one of the upper class men who was an all county pitcher I was batting against…I went down.

It hit me in the one area that was unprotected…my ribs.

Yes, it did hurt.

Yet, I had no intention of staying down so I got back up and finished batting.
I ended up striking out…which bothered me more than getting hit.

And as simple…and maybe unassuming as this may seem…this moment spurred me on right to this very day to never give up.

It’s become my driving force to get back up instead of giving up…

Not only as it related to sports at that point in time…but to any situation in life where the thought of giving up or being persistent came into play.

I saw it from a “going out for the baseball team” perspective back then.

Since then, it has carried over into any event in my life where that crossroads came up…either keep persisting and be relentless or give up.

Now let’s talk about you.

Think back through your life.

What is the one moment that defines who you are?

It could have taken place yesterday, one week ago, 3 months ago, or 20 years ago.

Where did it take place?

Who was there?

Were you aware of it at the time? Were you partly aware of it at the time? Did you see it as one way when it happened and then saw more of the blessings in it over time?

And look to the different areas of your life…in your family, your social network, in your occupation…or anywhere. It’s going to be unique for you.

When you find it you’ll know…it’ll “click.”

Once you do there’s something else to be aware of.

2. The sounds of silence

After I got hit with the baseball I do remember 4 people that came to my aid…the pitcher who threw the ball, the catcher, and two of the coaches. I told them I was fine and continued to play.

Now even though 30-40 other people were there when this happened it seemed like I was the only one there…because it felt like one of those “silent moments” so to speak.

You know, that moment when things seem to be going in slow motion.

There were sounds of silence…even as I had those 4 people come to see if I was ok.

The reason for this…and why it didn’t hurt as much after I got hit with the baseball…is because I was so focused on my mission at the time…making the baseball team…that nothing was going to get in the way of it.

So I got back up and continued to play on…not just that day but every day since then.

When you look back on the moment that defines who you are, what was going on around you at the time?

Did it seem like the sounds of silence?

Was that moment frozen in time?

If other people were present…did you know who they were…were they cheering you on…were they cheering you on but you didn’t hear anyone?

Because whatever that moment is which defines who you really are, something magical takes place.

Now I can’t tell you what that is because it’s unique to you.

What I can tell you is that you’ll know when it occurs.

And even though the moment may seem like it’s in slow motion…or that you may not hear the people who are there…you’ll know all the details of what happened in that moment.

Then comes the next part…

3. Beyond the realms of reality

After you realize the moment that defines who you really are, what happened moving forward from that day onward?

What other areas of your life did it carry over into?

It’s interesting…

Because after I got cut from the baseball team I never played baseball again.

However…

That entire experience…the coach cutting me and then saying what he did…and getting hit with that baseball…gave me the will to never give up in the other areas of my life.

This included challenging moments getting my business off the ground, when things seemed hopeless.

It carried over into my finances after I had my credit wiped out and most of my savings drained.

It helped me persevere during challenging situations in various relationships with others…to include my past marriage.

And it gave rise to another…often overlooked gift…dealing with people who don’t believe in you or what you want to accomplish.

I’m sure you know what I mean.

It’s when you hear people—sometimes family members and those closest to you—say, “oh that’s just the way it is, this is reality.”

Sound familiar…right?

This is what happened with me.

And having that one moment—getting hit by a baseball and then getting back up—define who I really am also allowed me to go “beyond the realms of reality” (which I call actuality).

What happened as a result?

It gave me the will to follow my vision and embrace both sides of life equally along the way…the joys and sorrows, the happiness and sadness, the pleasures and pains, the supports and challenges, the praise and criticism.

As you go through your life you’ll come across these moments as well. How you handle them determines what level of success you end up having.

When you realize what moment in your life defines who you really are, you’ll in some way gain this all important life skill and dictate your own destiny.

Involved in your destiny is realizing your magnificence and how special of a person you are.

And the more you understand the moment that defines who you really are, the more you’ll see it repeat in your life over time during different situations.

Along with that…

Others will see it as well.

They’ll see who you really are.

And they’ll also see what you’ve already realized about yourself…

How much of an important person you are and the tremendous amount of value you contribute to the world through the uniqueness of who you are.