When Ted Williams was a young boy, his schoolteacher went around the classroom and asked everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up. Many said firefighters, doctors, dentists etc…and when it came time for Williams to answer, he said, “I want people to say there goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.” Many laughed.

Ted Wiliams hit .406 in 1941 and was arguably one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game.

I had this interesting exchange with someone the other day. I sent out at message that was similar to Williams’. I said that one day I want people to say, “There goes Evan Sanders…the most inspiring man who ever lived.” The response was in no way bad…and he said (paraphrasing) “Even more inspiring that Obama or MLK? I’m all for goals but is that realistic?” That made me think…and I took a dive within. Is it realistic? Can you do that?

Everyone who has ever walked on the face of this earth started off as the little guy. They were nobody. Nobody knew of them. No one talked about them. It was just them, their family, and the voice inside. And really…that’s all you need. If you declare into the world that you are going to be something or do something, then you have already taken a massive step. You might not know exactly how to accomplish the task…but true courage is taking a leap of faith and building your wings on the way down. Focus too much on the plan and you’ll never jump. Focus too much on the fact you just jumped…splat.

You are what you do every single day. So whatever you are doing is eventually what you become. Aristotle said that excellence is born through habit. It isn’t something that is given to us…it is something that we have to grind out each and every day. If you think of the inspiring men that have  put memorable footprints in the sand…you must also wonder what they did consistently to become that person. Because we were all given gifts, but on every journey the amount of work that you have to commit to a task eventually overtakes the natural talents you were given. Sweat equity comes to mind.

So that’s my goal – and to start off that dream…I have turned The Better Man Project into a movement. Like I said above, it’s about people who are interested in becoming better men and women. That’s how I started my journey and everything else came to me along the way. And I have to tell you, to think about the life I had before this project still amazes me. No heart, no passion, tons of quitting…the list goes on and on. But you can turn it all around and that’s what I want for each and every one of us. Everybody has something amazing to bring to the table. So if we stop focusing on what makes us different from everyone else and start seeing the massive similarities we all have, whether that be emotions or experiences, then something fantastic  can happen. So join me. Comment below with just your name, your location, and age. I know that we will be able to fill up the worlds map with people who are committed to becoming just a little bit better every day.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project