Careers never go in the direction you expect. This is Rick Ankiel - The Natural, The Phenomenon. From Sporting News Rookie of the Year to wild pitches, out of the sport and back as a home-run hitter, his is quite the tale.
Living in St. Louis, I immediately took to watching Ankiel his rookie season in 1999. He had an incredible curveball called "the snapdragon" and was among the lead leaders in strikeouts. He got the nod to start our first playoff game.
And then it went off the rails. He threw five wild pitches in that game and multiple in his next start and to begin the following season, leveraging many strategies to try to deal with "the yips." He went to the minors and worked his way back triumphantly as a reliever only to decide to call it quits.
Then, the decision was made to reinvent as an outfielder in the minor leagues. Years later, on August 9, 2005, I found out he was starting in the outfield for the Cardinals and I immediately got tickets as I hightailed it home from Kansas City.
I arrived just in time to watch him hit a 3-run homer in his first game back. He hit 11 in the final 2 months of the season and 25 the following year; in his final years he was known for his incredible outfield throws to the plate and even almost attempted a pitching comeback in recent years. What a career!
No career is a straight line; I thought I would retire from my first major employer, I've been laid off multiple times, and thanks to relationships, reputation and consistent hard work, I've been blessed and fortunate to propel myself into fulfilling work.
But if you had told me 10 or 20 years ago I'd be doing what I'm doing now, I would not have believed it. It's easy to connect the dots backwards but impossible to connect them forward; all you can do is gravitate towards great people and those you can learn from, meaningful work you love, and unique ways to utilize your strengths and superpowers to give back and contribute to others.
What fascinating and wonderful directions has your career surprised you?
#CareerResilience #ReinventionJourney #EmbraceChange #UnpredictablePaths #ResilientMinds #CareerTwists #DefyingExpectations #SuccessStories #NeverGiveUp
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