Once in a While, Throw a Knuckler at Life!
For those of you who aren’t too familiar with Baseball, a knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. I first learnt about this about 5 years back from a movie called “A mile in his shoes”.
This movie is about an autistic kid, who had magic in his hands. To be honest, it was an O.K. movie— I would give it a 6.5/10. The best part of the movie, however, is the way it ends. The kid would be practicing some catches with his dad and the dad asks him if he is catching the ball well to which the kid says:
“Just beware of that knuckleball dad. You got no idea where it’s going because it has no idea where it’s going. But if you believe it, just hold out your hand and it will surprise you every time.”
Good pitchers eventually get good at pitching the ball as they please. But that’s not the end. Because if you know how the ball is going to swirl, a good batsman (opponent) also probably does. That’s why great pitchers make knuckleballs a part of their game. While they cannot control the ball, they can finesse their game plan with that element of surprise.
Our day-to-day lives are similar too. We work hard for years and become good at what we do. But if we stop there we will never see our true potential. We must use knucklers to break out of our comfort zones and routines, and to unlock the possibility to live fuller lives.
Since we are talking about a knuckler…
Embracing the idea of a knuckler, let me diverge from my typical research style writing and share a random (yet connected) thought that went through my head as I was writing this blog — the cartoon show “Powerpuff Girls”. The show is about three super-powered sisters who are a result of a laboratory accident — Sugar, Spice and Everything nice… AND CHEMICAL X.
That’s what I feel goes missing as we grow old. Not just the powerpuff girls show, but our enthusiasm for the unknown, for that chemical X, for a knuckler. We were once curious of the new paths because every path was equally fresh / exciting / risky. At some point, we realized that some paths are safer than others. And somewhere along the way, we started seeking comfort in certainty and gave up on the surprise element of life.
Shake things up to continue to grow
It is no surprise that we humans, like other animals, prefer a routine — it gives us a sense of safety and a steady livelihood. At least, things don’t get any worse with a routine, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on at what stage of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs a person falls into.
If someone has to fulfill the basic physiological and safety needs, to survive, then a routine is good enough. Unfortunately, a lot of us get stuck at the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid, sometimes due to fate but mostly by choice. But as soon as we cross that chasm and start looking to fulfill our psychological and self-fulfillment needs, a routine won’t be good for long enough. Because good is no longer good enough. You start striving to be a more complete human everyday.
So, ask yourself this question... are you giving your best to get better at what you care about? Is good, good enough?
If you heard your conscience shout back with a loud NO, you are not happy with what you have. And like they say, you cannot expect different results by doing things the same way. Start throwing some knuckleballs and Chemical Xs at life. This way you can be sure that life would be different — not necessarily better, at least not right away. Remember, no great pitcher ever got a knuckler right the first time. They believe in it, they fight for it and they eventually get it right. This blog was a small knuckleball of mine . What’s yours going to be?
