I was born into Red Sox Nation. Growing up in Boston, being a Red Sox fan is simply what you do – like breathing or drinking on St. Patty’s Day. So when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 after an 86 year drought it seemed…well, unnatural. Great but unnatural. And now this year to have won our third World Series in ten years it made me wonder “what was stopping us the previous 86 years?” I mean the park is the same, the rules haven’t changed, and we’ve always had amazing players (Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Carlton Fisk, Bobby Doer, Carl Yastrzemski). So what is the difference?
In my unscientific and totally biased opinion it comes down to a few intangibles. And these intangibles can benefit us working mothers.
1. Take It One Game At a Time – How many times this week did you think to yourself: “I am totally overwhelmed,” “There’s not enough time in the day,” “How can I possibly get all this done?” As working mothers we struggle every single day not to lose our minds because when we stop to take a look at the mountain of tasks we need to accomplish (deadlines at work, costume for school play, cooking, washing, cleaning, etc.) it can be so overwhelming it takes an entire bottle of Pinot Noir and a large bag of Pirate Booty to calm our nerves (wait, maybe that’s just me). So here’s what the 2004 World Champion Red Sox can teach us. In 2004 the Red Sox were playing for the American League Championship Series against their arch-nemesis Yankees. If they won this series they would go on to play in the World Series. Problem is they choked the first three games. And this is the unscientific and my completely unproven theory but I think they were overwhelmed – by history, by playing their hated rival, by losing game after game. Mentally I think those first three games they just let all that pressure crush their spirit. But then something miraculous happened. They literally decided as a team that they were going to just go out and focus solely on winning THE NEXT GAME. That is it. Keep it simple. They stopped listening to all the voices in their heads saying things like “no team has ever come back from three games down to win the next four games straight and win the championship” – which was totally true but needed to be ignored. And they did the impossible and came back to win four games straight then go on to sweep the Cardinals to win the club its first World Series in 86 years. So ladies, stop stressing about your to-do list and just win your next game.
2. It Takes a Village – One thing that struck me in all of the post championship interviews this year, is that nearly every Red Sox player mentioned how much they loved their teammates and how close their team had become through the year. Here is an amazing fun fact: the Red Sox actually finished stone cold dead last in their division last season. They went from last to first in one year. How is this possible you might ask? And again here is my unscientific theory but I think they did it in large part because they liked each other. They really really liked each other. I know that when I am with my tribe of women who love and support me I feel like I can do anything. My girlfriends are my support system, my cheerleaders, my shoulder to cry on, and my counselors. I think the Red Sox players created their own special ego-less tribe and it made them better players than they ever could have been on their own. So if you are feeling off kilter, call up that friend you haven’t seen in a while and schedule some good old-fashioned girl time!
3. Find What Motivates You – It takes a lot to go from first to last in one year. And I can’t help but think that the horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon played a major role in the team’s dramatic turn around. If you’ve never lived in Boston you might not understand what a complete violation that tragedy was. I remember my dad bringing me to watch the Boston Marathon when I was a little girl. Every year it was our ritual – as it is for so many families in Massachusetts. Fenway is about a ten minute walk from the finish line of the marathon so most fans who attend the ballgame walk over to the finish line to cheer on the runners. It is also a holiday called Patriot’s Day so everyone can enjoy the festivities. It’s sort of a New England version of Madi Gras. So when those terrorists blew up their bombs on April 15, 2013 they violated and cut us in ways we simply never imagined possible. And it hurt. Brutally. And the Red Sox felt it too. You could hear it in the speech Big Papi gave after the city finally reopened which is totally worth watching:
So for the last time in my unscientific judgment, I think the team found its cause that day the bombs ripped our hearts out. I think they found their reason to play big, swing for the bleachers, and bring the trophy home to Boston this year.
As working mothers I think the lesson we take from this is to remember to reconnect with what motivates us. We can get so bogged down in making sure the “machine” that is our family runs smoothly that we lose sight of why we do what we do. So carve out some time for yourself and write down what motivates you to do what you do. Is it the satisfaction of providing for your family? Do you like feeling fulfilled by a job well done? Do you like the sense of accomplishment you feel when you step back and look at what you’ve been able to create for your family? Whatever it is write it and put it somewhere you can pull out when you start to wonder why it is you do what you do.
I could go on for pages and pages about Red Sox life lessons. Like trust your instincts – which is what Grady Little should have done instead of leaving Pedro Martinez in just a little bit too long and cost us our shot at the World Series in 2003. But instead I will ask that you dig deep, find your tribe, stop stressing, and commit to winning your own personal World Series. Every day.
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