Stop Swinging for the Fences: The Habit-Building Lesson I Learned from Baseball
If you know me at all, you know I love baseball. The strategy fascinates me, the history is endlessly entertaining, and there’s nothing quite like being at a live game (hot dogs just taste better at the ballpark, am I right?).
Naturally, I was thrilled that the MLB All-Star Game was in Philadelphia this year. The city hadn’t hosted it in 30 years, and somehow I happened to be living here when it finally came back. How lucky am I??
The city was buzzing with events surrounding All-Star Week. One that I attended was a panel on the history of Philadelphia baseball at the Pen & Pencil Club.
The panel featured four speakers – two from Shibe Vintage Sports and two from the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame – who shared stories about Philadelphia baseball through the decades. I grew up in Pittsburgh, so I am well-versed in Pirates history, but Philadelphia baseball history is largely unfamiliar to me; thus, this was my first time learning about Dick Allen.
Dick Allen played for the Phillies 1963-1969, then again 1975-1976. He has a career .292 batting average and .912 OPS, both of which exemplify that he could hit the ball.
One of the panelists referenced a quote from Dick Allen’s autobiography. I’m paraphrasing, but it was essentially this: when you step up to the plate, don’t try to hit a home run. Just try to get on base.
The panelist said he has always loved that quote because it applies to life just as much as it does baseball. You don’t always have to swing for the fences. A home run isn’t the only hit that matters. Sometimes success simply means getting on base (or advancing a teammate, like with a sacrifice fly).
Ironically, players who constantly chase home runs often end up with fewer hits overall, and many of the league’s biggest sluggers also rack up plenty of strikeouts. Just look at the Phillies 2026 All Star Kyle Schwarber; at the 2026 All-Star break, he had 32 home runs (the most in Major League Baseball), but he also led the league with 144 strikeouts.
If you’re a baseball fan, you know that Schwarber’s stats aren’t surprising. I’ve heard my dad say it countless times while we’ve watched games together: when you’re trying too hard to hit a home run, it messes with your swing.
Where Baseball Meets Life
I agree that this quote applies very well to life. I see it in myself all the time.
I started my business three years ago, and I never feel like I’m making enough progress. I’m constantly swinging for the fences, then feeling defeated whenever I strike out or simply don’t hit a home run – but maybe a home run isn’t the only measure of success.
Take my Meal Planning for ADHD virtual support group. One of my goals for 2025 was simply to facilitate a virtual group, and I did – twice. My hope was to have at least five participants in each round. Instead, I had five total (three in the first round and two in the second).
I genuinely felt like I did everything I could to promote it. I consistently posted on social media, emailed my subscribers, reached out to referral partners who work with people with ADHD, and personally invited current and former clients whom I thought would benefit.
Every person I spoke with told me it was a fantastic idea and a service that was badly needed. Everyone who participated had positive things to say. They felt supported, learned practical strategies, and walked away with something valuable.
Even though enrollment fell short of what I’d hoped, I still made it happen and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. I learned far more by running the group than I ever would have by abandoning the idea altogether.
From a business perspective, I absolutely got on base (and may have even scored a few runs), so why did it feel like I struck out?
I see this mindset in my nutrition counseling clients, too. Many come to their first appointment wanting to go from zero to one hundred overnight, whether that’s losing weight, improving their lab work, or changing years of eating habits.
It almost never works that way.
When you push too hard too fast, burnout usually follows. You throw off your swing, so to speak. You don’t build habits that are sustainable, which means you don’t see lasting results. You end up striking out over and over again.
That’s one reason so many people cycle through diets repeatedly. The diet “works” – until it doesn’t.
One of my clients recently had this realization after completing Weight Watchers five different times before working with me (five times!!!). She told me she finally understood why it never truly worked long-term. She hadn’t done the deeper work of learning how her body responded to food, changing the way she thought about eating, or practicing flexibility and self-compassion while building new habits.
What I’m Trying to Do Differently
I’m still trying to embrace this lesson myself. It’s difficult not to swing for the fences and want immediate success.
I don’t have the perfect answer yet, but I do have a few ideas for how I want to approach things moving forward.
You Don’t Have to Be a Slugger
Make sure your overarching goal is realistic in the first place.
No baseball player has a perfect batting average, and it’s unrealistic to expect them to. Additionally, some baseball players simply aren’t meant to be power hitters, center fielders, or starting pitchers. They might be better suited batting clean-up, playing right field, or as a relief pitcher.
To translate to real life – don’t set yourself up for failure by aspiring to reach your high school body weight, eat 200 grams of protein per day when you definitely don’t need to, or never eat dessert again when you love it.
Focus on Getting on Base First
It’s perfectly fine to have an ambitious long-term goal, but you also need smaller, actionable goals that move you toward it.
For a baseball player, that might mean more frequent batting practice or strength and conditioning.
For my clients, it might mean drinking 64 ounces of water each day, limiting sugary coffee drinks to three per week, exercising for 10 minutes a day, or adding more fruits and vegetables to their meals.
Those are the things that deserve your attention every day. Remind yourself by writing them down and hanging them on your refrigerator or sticking them to your bathroom mirror (I like to post them above my desk).
Celebrate the Small Wins
If you’re committed to the long game, progress will probably feel slow. The only way to stay motivated is to recognize what’s already going well.
Hit your daily goal once? Celebrate it. Did something that felt impossible a month ago? Celebrate it.
That’s why I ask nearly every client at the beginning of our appointments: What went well? What are you proud of since we last met? There’s always something!
Let the Data Tell the Story
Baseball players have an advantage here. Every at-bat, every hit, every strikeout is tracked.
For my nutrition counseling clients (and for me as a business owner), it’s a little harder, but it’s just as important.
I know firsthand how easy it is to get caught up in your emotions and convince yourself you’re failing. That’s exactly when you need objective information. Track the small, actionable goals that you set for yourself, and don’t just look for one outcome (like weight loss).
I’ll often have my clients pay attention to their energy levels, sleep patterns, mood, digestion, or how they feel about their relationship with food.
If they’re not hitting the goals we set, we look closer at what’s getting in the way. “I’m not doing it because I’m lazy” isn’t an answer. Often a simple adjustment or a different way of looking at it gets you over the hump.
Keep Reassessing the Game Plan
This might sound a little existential, but a good question to ask yourself is: Why am I doing this? What’s the bigger purpose?
Sometimes our priorities change. Sometimes we realize the goal we set wasn’t realistic to begin with. Sometimes the smartest thing we can do is take a step back, simplify, and focus on what matters most.
So if you’re feeling stuck on whatever journey you’re on, remember this: Don’t swing for the fences. Just try to get on base.