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Progress vs. Perfection
As appeared in the June 2003 edition of Between The Lines.
Progress vs. Perfection
| by Cliff Whitford, Level V, Alberta |
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For those currently embarking upon a career in umpiring at the local, provincial or national levels, a firm word of advice - learn the difference between progress and perfection before taking your next step.
In today's highly competitive world it is easy to become jaded and accept nothing short of perfection in pursuit of your goals, whether such goals are umpire or job related. If you come from a large family, competition with siblings was part of your upbringing. On the other hand, if you were raised in a relatively smaller family competition was more a point of personal interest than anything else. Whatever the case may be it is important to know the parameters you set for yourself in your pursuit of "progress" or "perfection" on a daily basis. Why you ask? Simply put, the two P's are worlds apart when it comes to determining the elements of proper goal-setting and subsequent success.
If you are the type of individual who is in pursuit of excellence through "perfection," chances are you will experience a difficult time in achieving such goals, especially in the sport of umpiring. Setting goals that do not allow for mistakes are most certain to get you into trouble on the ball diamond. As many established Senior Softball Canada Officials of yesterday and today can likely attest, it is of vital importance to listen to players and coaches on the ball diamond when it comes to diffusing situations. Chances are that you were right in most aspects of making the call; however, there is the slight chance that you "may" have erred due to not having had the right angle on the play or through misinterpretation of a playing rule. An official who practices "perfection" is one you will see on the diamond often shrouded in controversy. Yet he/she is adamant in maintaining that they were "right on top of the play" and therefore, in the best position to make the call. The rest of us know better. Perfectionists unfortunately possess the uncontrollable desire to be right and will do whatever they can to win the argument, even if it means convincing themselves that they were right when they know deep in their hearts they were wrong. Walking through life with a perfectionist attitude definitely limits one's potential to success.
On the flipside, umpires that practice "progress" in their pursuit of excellence are not necessarily officials exempt from hardships; they are simply those who exhibit an open approach toward doing their jobs. Umpires that walk onto the diamond on the premise that they are going out to do their best exhibit a sense of self-confidence that transpires into something noticeable to players, coaches, managers and fans alike…DIAMOND PRESENCE. They are officials that read their rulebooks and instructional manuals diligently with the prior knowledge that they may not memorize every rule the first, second, twentieth or hundredth time round, but they tend to their studies nonetheless.
Umpires that practice progress, are those that tend to their game at every opportunity whether it is from a working or an evaluating perspective, and who grow within the game considering personal capabilities and limitations. Just as players and coaches make mistakes, so too do we as officials. As former Major League Umpire Rich Garcia put it when he made the now famous homerun call at Yankee Stadium in the 1996 American League Championship Series, he "didn't see it" (the fan interference) and "had to make a decision." In the numerous interviews to follow Garcia mentioned how the missed call initially devastated him, however, he further alluded to how the acceptance of his mistake made it easier to move on.
Do not be fooled, umpiring involves making mistakes and nowhere in Softball Canada instructional material does it indicate that we have to be perfect officials. Learning from our mistakes is essential in making progress. After all, the most successful people in life are those that achieve excellence one step at a time and live by the saying, "Practice makes Progress."
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