YA GOTTA BELIEVE: What The New York Mets have taught me

YA GOTTA BELIEVE

WHAT THE NEW YORK METS HAVE TAUGHT ME

“We have a tough game something doesn’t go right we bounce back”

Terry Collins – NY Mets Manager

The World Series has been over for a while now and the Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets however according to everyone else we, the Amazin, Miracle Mets should not have been there. My name is Yanatha Desouvre, I have been a New York Mets fan since I was 7 years old, this was in 1985. The Mets finished that year in 2nd place 3 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. I even rooted for the Yankees at the age as well Phil Rizzuto announcing had me hooked on the game on Channel 11 back then. At this age, I read my first Amazing Spiderman comic book. A little boy born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti then living in Brooklyn, New York. The Mets line-up with guys like Dwight Gooden, Wally Backman, Keith Hernandez, Howard Johnson Darryl Strawberry and one player with the strange name like mine Mookie Wilson, I could relate. Being bullied at school and being made fun of daily because I was Haitian even though I spoke the English language better than some of my classmates. I heard, “You have H.B.O. Haitian Body Order (we couldn’t even afford cable back then, lol) ‘Haitian, Haitian go back to your Nation” and many other cruel things kids say. 

However, at home I found solace in watching the New York Mets hustle and bustle on the diamond and read about how Peter Parker despite being a superhero had bullies like I. Along with my sisters who adore the Mets, baseball become a metaphor for life. Sometimes you win and some time you lose however, you never give in. In 1986 the New York Metropolitans won it all, it was an exciting time. The New York Mets, the scrappy group of guys with potential in ’85 became champions the following year. I see the New York Mets weather if they are winning or losing as a mirror for my life. So for the next 29 years of win some and lose some but they gave it all out in the field. They even made to the world series the Yankees in 2000 and but lost now 15 years later we are back the Mets are back in the fall classic. As a die hard Mets fan this is what the New York Mets have taught me. 

1.       YOU WILL FAIL but YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE

When the Mets were fighting for last place for several years in a row

•  I never made student of the month like my siblings did but I kept trekking along and made the honor role on my last semester of my senior year in High School.
•  I wasn’t academically gifted however I ended up being the first to graduate from College in my generation. ‘A Drexel University Dragon for Life”.

Understand you reading this now, have failed in parts of your life as I have and probably will after posting this up, but that absolutely doesn’t make you or me a failure.

2.      YOU WILL LOSE but YOU ARE NOT DEFEATED

The Mets in 1962 their first year of existence they had the worst losing record in Major League baseball.  I remembering period growing up the Mets had many losing seasons

•   I’ve lost a lot in life from family deaths to friends and family who’ve been murdered
•  Out of those tragic moments, like the New York Metropolitans, through the years  there’ve been times of triumph and I’ve learned to savor those moments  

Lots of things and situations will knock you down but you must not stay down. You may have lost that round but you have not been and will not be defeated.

3.      YOU WILL SUFFER nevertheless

YOU ARE A SURVIVOR

As a Mets fan for years I saw my team suffer through devastating injuries and much more. They even were affected by the Madoff scheme, however they survived it.  

•   I’ve had my heart broken and I’ve even unfortunately was on the other side of that
• No matter how heart broken the situation is you will survive and thrive

Perseverance produces power. No one likes his or her heart broken however, when a bone is broken it temporarily becomes stronger as it heals. Take the healing process as time to develop a stronger sense of self-steps in becoming a survivor.

4.      YOU’LL BE SEEN AS HOPELESS however

LEARN TO DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE

The Mets even tried to be like other teams in attempting to buy championships spending million on aging ‘superstars’ passed their prime (still paying one until this very day) but ended up worse than the year before. For years, things seemed hopeless, and then the Mets looked within their farm system. They nourished the seeds that were planted and invested in them over long periods of time. The Mets invested in what they valued. Those seeds, the players, are now blossoming into fruitful parts of the team playing now. The Mets are heading to the World Series in 2015 because those seeds grew surrounded by dirt, stormy rains and the heat of the sun.    

• Growing up I had a hard time reading. I was in the remedial reading groups in class, not fun.
•   I still have issues with grammar and I still don’t consider myself a great writer
•   I had to write, “I will not talk in class” 1000 times in the third grade not realizing
• Mrs. Blanchard punishment was simply preparing me for my passion in writing later on in life.
•   I always had “potential” my teachers would say but I had no idea what that meant in the 7th grade.
•  But I discovered writing become one of my gifts, free therapy and it also help uplift others as well. I’ve been fortunate enough to write and independently publish several books, even produce audiobook of inspiring short stories and poetry. I even had a wonderful opportunity to co-author a best selling children’s book with my oldest daughter in three languages. I also merged my love for tech and writing by writing a textbook. Check out my author page on Amazon.com
• I am currently working on my first novel “To Whom Much is Given” expected to be published on April 16, 2016. Who would have thought this non-academically gifted kid, like the scrappy New York Mets, could accomplished so much?

You have been given a gift, you may not know what it is yet, however learn to invest in yourself, plant positive seeds, focus on what you are good at doing that impacts others in a positive way and build on that success.  There lies the path to finding your purpose.

5.      COUNTLESS TIMES MANY WILL DOUBT YOU but

YA GOTTA BELIEVE

In 2015 baseball season none of the “experts” picked the Mets to go the World Series, be National League Division champions, The National League champions however they were all wrong. The turning point for me was the Wilma Flores walk off home run on July 31s, 2015 in the bottom of the 12th inning. Wilma’s tears of being traded, from an organization he’s known since he was 17, turned into tears of joy. “The trade that wasn’t made might the biggest hit for the Mets all season” Ron Darling   https://youtu.be/UmL4rNYmJ9U

• I’ve experienced doubt many times in my life and have been told by many, “You can’t do this, you can’t do that, who do you think you are. I would feel incompetent often time worthless. That negativity drains me. It drains us all.
• A few years ago at an unnamed employer, I wanted to move from the support side of IT to the software development side of things. I went to the director there to see if I could be a part of her team. Without hesitation, she said, “No, you don’t have the skill sets, Yanatha”. I was bit bummed there for a moment she never gave a chance she doubted me as many have doubted and still doubt the New York Mets. However, I started believe in myself and knew if I put some time into something I can learn it. On the last day of work at the particular place, I approached her and said, “Thank you and I owe you some money.” Her response was “Thank you for what? Money, what money?” I said when you rejected me it sparked some resilience in me. I went and taught myself how to create apps for iOS and Android devices and was, at that time, making about $50 a month with no promotion. I now have about a combine 13 apps on the App Store and Google Play.

Finally yet importantly you reading this right now may have doubters or what some may call haters, but that is alright. You have haters and doubters because you are doing something, something meaningful. Let them doubt. Let them hate. You exist for a purpose; you are here for a reason. The paths you have taken to be where you are or where you want to be, have not been and will not be easy, but keep on keeping on. 

So no matter who you are or what you’ve been through realize in this life there is nothing you cannot do. You just simply have to work hard and believe. Believe me, you can say you will do it, there is so much you can and will achieve. Acknowledge the struggles of the past that led to this path and realize it’s not where you’re from it’s where you’re at –

Imagine This Imagine That  

YOU’RE ALREADY A CHAMPION

YOU MUST EMBRACE IT

YA GOTTA BELIEVE

CHANT THIS WITH ME TO YOURSELF:

LET’S GO ME, LET’S GO ME, LET’S GO ME!!!

#LETSGOMETS #LGM