I’m a baseball fan. So is my son Charles. He’s 15 and playing on a summer team here in Denver.

The other night, it was the bottom of the seventh inning and Charles team was down by one run with the tying run on third base. There were two outs and it just so happened that it was Charles turn to bat. He came to the plate and worked himself into a full count – 3 balls and 2 strikes. It came down to one pitch.

Almost three hours of baseball and here we go, the pitcher looks to third, starts his windup, and lets it rip, the ball releases from his hand, coming towards home plate, and then€¦

Did Charles strike out? Did he walk? Did the runner score? Did he get a hit? Did they win the game? Doesn’t matter. That is not the point.

After the game I asked Charles how it was, being the person at the plate with the game on the line with full count.

“Great,” he said.

“What was great about it,” I asked?

“It was exciting, and I was totally focused,” he said.

That’s the point. Being focused. Being excited.

How do we all live as if it’s the bottom of the 7th with two outs and the tying run is on third? How many of us stay away from those situations because we don’t want to fail? (And the safest way not to fail is to not step up to the plate.) How many of us shy away from those situations in our lives and in our organizations because we don’t want to fail?

We play it safe, but at what cost? The cost is an excited and focused organization and an excited and focused life.