“Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.” Yogi Berra

Franklin, NC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/14/2012 --This quote is by Lawrence Peter “Yogi “ Berra, a veteran of D Day in World War ll and one of the greatest baseball catchers of all time. In his nineteen years of playing for the New York Yankees, he helped them go to fourteen World Series. He also played a major role in the success of his team through his ability to lead pitchers, hit the ball in clutch situations and as an all around athlete. Due to his leadership skills, he managed the New York Yankees and New York Mets and was selected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Noted for his humorous quips of wisdom, he advised us well beyond the confines of baseball. In the above quote he reminds us (despite the math) that life’s outcomes are not a result of skill alone but are a reflection of our thoughts, of all that is in our mind. It is true that much of life revolves around what we expect will happen. If we expect to win we increase our chances of winning, though this also involves work and preparation. In difficult moments, if we believe there is a solution to our problem it is easier to prepare ourselves to find it.

In 1973 the New York Mets trailed the Chicago Cubs. Everyone thought it was over for the Mets but Berra, who declared defiantly, “it ain’t over till it’s over,” which became perhaps his most famous quote. Berra had an eighth grade education but he knew something most leaders often forget and that is you never, ever give up on your dreams. The New York Mets won the division title that year but the victory had evolved first in the mind of Yogi Berra.

Today we face a world where many of us are struggling, especially financially. Is the way out as simple as positive thinking? Probably not (but it is a helpful start.) From his own words we know that Yogi Berra was a positive thinker. He also possessed determination, humor, resolve and an indomitable spirit. He was as certain of his team’s ultimate victory as others were of their failure. He knew the roots of success or failure are up to us and mostly involve what we expect and think will happen.

Here are a few of our ideas on leadership. Leadership and winning deal with the large picture as well as repairing the leaks in the boat. Our national leaders have been quite content to watch as a great deal of our manufacturing and Made in America products leave; leaving unemployment , deficits and community breakdowns in the wake of their default of leadership. They can neither deal with the big picture of the wealth of nations through manufacturing or fixing the leaky boat.

As our leaders fail, our nation is long over-due for local, state and national Citizens’ Conventions to set our nation on the right course. Our nation can win again, jobs can be created, and manufacturing can thrive again. Lee Iacocca had it right; “Where Have All the Leaders Gone?” How much longer can we wait before local, state and national Citizens’ Conventions are called?-Not Long!

Dr. Gordon Mercer is international president emeritus of Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society and Professor emeritus at Western Carolina University. Marcia Gaines Mercer is a published children’s author and writer. Our columns are featured in newspapers across the United States and globally. Let us know if you are a publisher or editor and would like to receive our columns. edison@myfrontiermail.com