What you have to do to be a great pitcher

Reaching goals is important to every great baseball pitcher, but we often put all the emphasis on the result (winning the big game or striking out the side) while overlooking the fact that it's the process of getting there (the hours spent practicing and training) that really makes us who we are. Most baseball players set goals. The very best pitchers live them.

If you want to be the best high school pitcher on your team, if you want to earn a college scholarship, or if you want to get drafted by a big league club, ask yourself this: Is that something you will wait to become at some far-off date ... or is it something you can be today? Find out what the very best pitchers do -- every day -- and then do those things. What are their priorities? How do they train? Who do they surround themselves with? How do they manage their time? What are their best habits? What do they want to learn? Study them. Then act like them. Carry yourself like them. Become them.

Your baseball coach is an excellent source for these questions and can help guide you. List the sacrifices you will have to make in order to "be" that kind of player. What activities or people will you have to eliminate (or put off) from your daily schedule? How must you structure your day? The big question here is, "Are you willing to pay the price to become the person you want to be?" Do you seek out the best players to learn from them everything you possibly can? Do you use your coach as a mentor?

Do you watch great pitchers at work? Are you evolving, open to adding to your game the new things a great pitcher needs?

Great pitchers are great EVERY DAY, not just on game day. They know that the daily process is as important as the "goal" it leads to. Regardless of the outcome, they've spent each and every day being a champion.

Don't just be a goal-setter; live your goals today. That's how to become a great pitcher and have a successful career in baseball -- and in life.