I am a southpaw. If you are not familiar with that term, it means I am left-handed. The origins of the term 'southpaw’ are unclear at best, but some believe it came from the world of baseball. In the 19th century, before stadium lighting, stadiums were built so the batter would face east. This allowed games to be played as the sun went down and the sun would not be in the batter’s eyes. Left handed pitchers would then face south when standing on the mound so they were nicknamed, southpaws.
As an athlete, being left handed presents a lot of advantages. Defenders in team sports get accustomed to playing against right handers. When they face an opponent that runs to the their left, throws with their left, and reaches with the left it is unexpected. For a defender, the angles, positions, and placements of a southpaw are not what are expected. My brothers, both right handers, claim that I scored two extra baskets per game during my high school and college basketball career because it took defenders half the game to figure out I was left handed. Southpaws, have a lot of advantages.
The word ‘advantage’ is defined as a condition or circumstance that puts a person in a favorable position. Advantages give us the sense that we can accomplish more than we originally thought was possible. Have you ever had an advantage? It’s an empowering feeling. Some advantages we work hard to earn, like a specialized degree. Other advantages are just given to us, like being left handed.
Our western world of convenience has confused us on what is an advantage and what is not an advantage. Too often, discomfort, inconvenience, or limitations are perceived as disadvantages when in fact those things can force the type of focus and determination out of us that is exactly what we need to be successful.
Here are a 8 advantages that EVERYONE has but not everyone uses.
The advantage of the Information Age: How often do use the internet to create a real advantage in your pursuits? The entire world of knowledge is available at our fingertips to help us know and grow. Too many of us, get used by the internet rather than use it to our advantage. Taking an e-course, watching a YouTube series, listening to podcasts, and online degrees are all examples of ways to use the Information Age to create an advantage.
The advantage of reading: Closely related to taking advantage of the Information Age is developing the habit of reading in a meaningful way. Even in our video-driven age, the correlation of reading to being a person of impact is inescapable. Whether it is the deep dive into the content of a topic in a book, or the forced focus that is required of our brain when reading a book, or the way that ideas from books tumble around our minds for days as we consider their application to our lives; reading books is a HUGE advantage available to everyone. It is the extended immersion into content on a specific topic that produces meaningful knowledge and that is an advantage in a knowledge economy.
The advantage of commitment: A master potter was asked if making her exquisite pots was difficult. ‘No. Not anymore. The first 10,000 were very difficulty, but it’s not difficult anymore.’ What a nod of the head to commitment! Commitment isn’t commitment until you don’t want to be committed; and then it becomes commitment. Too many of us miss the advantage of commitment and the impending momentum that it creates across an extended period of time because we get distracted by how we feel. Commitment is a huge advantage reserved for those that stay committed.
The advantage of routine: W.H. Auden stated that ‘routine is the sign of an intelligent and ambition person.’ The great scourge of our age is distraction, and it constantly derails important things every single day. Bob Bowman was 23x Gold Medalist, Michael Phelps, coach. When asked what Phelps was thinking about just before and during a race, Bowman responded, ‘nothing.’ ‘Michael has developed a race day routine so automatic that he no longer has to think about anything. He just trusts his routine.’ Developing a routine that prioritizes important things is a snow plow that shoves aside the distractions of everyday. A routine is an advantage.
The advantage of attitude: The best way to understand the advantage of attitude is to understand that you function at your best when you choose to be the weather instead of a weatherman. A weatherman is helpless to change things. The only thing a weatherman can do is report on what is projected to happen and prepare to endure it. The weather, though, that is a different story. The weather imposes its will on everyone and everything, and there is nothing anyone can do to change its mind. The weather changes things. Do not be a weatherman. Be the weather for yourself and the people around you. And be good weather while we you are at it. Being the weather is an advantage.
The advantage of work ethic: Work ethic fueled by the advantage of attitude and commitment. Here’s a few questions you can ask to determine is you are making your work ethic an advantage for you: 1) Do you have a plan for what you will accomplish each day? 2) How often do you stick to your plan? 3) Do you get the end of your work and stay with it for just a little longer? 4) Do you get to work just a little earlier than usual to get a jump on things? 5) Do you ask your superior what you can do for them often and embrace it when they give you something to do? Work ethic is an advantage.
The advantage of unique gifts: You have unique gifts. They are a combination of your DNA, aptitudes, interests, life experiences, and a myriad of other things. Some of those things are very positive and some of those things are hurtful and negative, but they have combined to produce inside of you unique gifts only you have and only you can offer to the world. And the world needs them whether you feel it or not. Your unique gifts are an advantage.
The advantage of unique purpose: I believe you were created by God for a unique purpose. It’s a purpose only you can fill. Humanity at any point is a massive jig saw puzzle with each person being a piece of the puzzle. If your ‘piece’ was removed no one else could fill it and the picture would be incomplete. God created you for unique purpose and has allowed your life to unfold in a way that has developed unique gifts that only you have.
You are an advantage.
Keep on, keepin' on, friends!
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.
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