Giving Power Away
Before baseball star Mickey Mantle died, he faced and came to terms with his lifelong alcoholism. As he was withering of liver disease, Mickey held a press conference at the Betty Ford treatment center. A reporter asked him, "How would you like people to remember Mickey Mantle?" Pale and gaunt, still sporting his Yankee cap, he replied, "I would like them to think that I finally made something of myself." I was shocked. One of the most loved and celebrated sports heroes of all time -- my hero -- did not respect himself until he took back the power he had given to his addiction.
A few months later, Mickey Mantle died. Soon afterward I saw a touching newspaper cartoon showing Mickey meeting God, depicted as a person. As the two ambled down a long road in heaven, God placed his arm around Mickey’s shoulder. Mickey turned to God and wistfully remarked, "I can’t believe all the errors I made." God turned to Mickey and answered, "But you gave them a ninth inning they’ll never forget."
You give your power away when you make someone or something outside of you more important than what is inside of you.
When you elevate others at your expense, nobody wins. When you source your life from inside out, everyone wins. As you strike gold in your own self, you will quit giving the people in your world a carbon copy of the terror that runs their lives, and give them a ninth inning -- or a first, or a fifth -- they’ll never forget. ~ Alan Cohen
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