What an 8-Year-Old Taught Me About Resilience

The day before our first Little League game, one of my son Lukas’s teammates, Ryden, showed up to practice with his arm in a cast. He was devastated. He had been looking forward to playing baseball all year.

But he didn’t think about going home.

Instead, he asked if he could still be part of the team. I said, “Of course!”

Ryden stayed. He ran drills as best he could. He even took batting practice — one-handed. Lukas couldn’t stop talking about it for days. Neither could some of the other kids.
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And to be honest, I couldn’t stop thinking about it either.

How often do we face setbacks in our business? A proposal falls through, a client goes dark, or a project doesn’t land as we’d hoped.

In those moments, it’s easy to sulk or shut down. But it’s how we respond to the setback that matters most.
Ryden didn’t make excuses. He didn’t disengage. He found a way to keep showing up, and in doing so, he inspired the entire team.

Sometimes it’s the simplest moments that can reset how we think about and approach challenges. For me, it was this one at practice.

How about you?
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Thanks, Ryden.