ORLANDO, Fla. — Cal Ripken Jr. was the kind of baseball player any credit union would like to have as an employee: 17 years without a sick day.
Ripken, the Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Orioles' star, is best known for having played 2,632 consecutive games at short stop and third base. Now retired, Ripken speaks to various groups on the question he said he fields most frequently: what is the secret to longevity and endurance.
In response, Ripken offered these eight keys in remarks before PSCU's recent annual meeting:
1. Have the right approach. "You have to have the right attitude to do a job. My job as a ballplayer was to be ready to play when I came to the park."
2. Have a strong will to succeed. "This is your drive. Is it genetic or learned? I think it's mostly genetic, but a piece of it is learned, as well." He shared that as a kid his parents urged him to channel the energy that came from anger in positive ways, rather than negative.
3. Have a passion and love what you do. Ripken said his father, who managed Ripken for a while on the Orioles, observed once, "Too many people today are working at jobs they hate."
4. Be Competitive. "There are two forms of competition I find motivating," said Ripken. "Competing against yourself and competing against teammates. I competed as if someone was judging me every minute, even away from games."
5. Be Consistent. Noting that he often made the pitch calls from his shortstop position, Ripken said, "If you make consistent contributions outside your skill set you are very valuable to your team."
6. Have Conviction. "When you feel you are right you have to have confidence in what you believe in."
7. Have Strength. "I worked hard to sharpen my tools. You can get so busy in your day-to-day activities that sometimes you forget to continue your education."
8. Life Management. "To me this is not about managing your entire life, but getting control over thing you think you can't control and getting a little control over it." As an example, Ripken said he always sought to "manage his manager" by proactively asking what the manager would expect of him. "People are afraid to try to control the interaction with their boss."
