“I don’t want my life to be about settling. I don’t want it to be about avoiding pain. I want it to be about pursuing joy.” – R.A. Dickey
I enjoyed R.A. Dickey’s autobiography, Wherever I Wind Up. We get the privilege of hearing about a man who struggles through his adversity and shares his journey from the lens of authenticity. It is a gift because while most people position and wear masks, Dickey helps us to understand the struggles, doubts and fears all of us carry around. He shows a great amount of courage both in sharing and showing us how to keep fighting.
His journey as a baseball player that experiences repeated disappointment with glimpses of greatness followed by struggles connects with me. I see him continuing to persevere into the unknown. He has to keep working and keep discovering how to win.
This is true, whether it is with his talent, his marriage or his life. To go forward, he has to deal with his demons from the past and choose each day to rewrite the narrative of his life.
I think we all have a script and many do not examine their lives. We get the privilege of reading and absorbing how someone is living the examined life. He thinks about his life and chooses joy instead of despair, despite what his old scripts are saying or haunting him with.
The conversation that is going on in our heads is powerful. It takes great determination and perseverance to push in a different direction if we want things to change. It is often unrelenting. It is choosing leadership of our own lives rather than succumbing to our scripts. Dickey guides us by sharing his own journey. I can appreciate the authenticity and the courage.
If you want to get some insights into leadership around yourself and how to lead a determined, examined life, I would encourage the read. Whether it’s throwing a knuckleball, stepping up as a parent or choosing to lead, I think Dickey will both inspire and elucidate.
