Written by: Blake Lindsay

On a recent trip to Florida, I got the opportunity to try my hand at something entirely new to me. I am blessed with a voice for radio and have enjoyed a wonderful career as a radio broadcaster including rock and roll DJ, newscaster, and commercial voice overs for many companies.

My cousin, Rhett, was in the middle of his summer baseball season and I was asked to be the booth announcer for his next game. Fresh challenges are always exciting, and this fit the bill perfectly as I know absolutely nothing about baseball, and I am totally blind.

So, Let’s Play Ball.

Now, it is not as dumb of an idea as you would think. My uncle Marvin ran the scoreboard beside me and has a vast knowledge of baseball and the jargon to go along with the sport. With this winning combination and team effort, he could communicate to me what I needed to convey to the crowd. Marvin and I embraced our brand-new challenge and willingly accepted our mission.
With Marvin’s excellent help, I confidently announced all the player’s names with enthusiasm. We got into a rapid rhythm with Marvin telling me what to say after each play. His voice didn’t come through the speakers because of my quick finger operating the microphone’s on and off switch. I had a blast being the convincing announcer known as Baseball Blake for the duration of the game. Through Uncle Marvin’s eyes, along with his assortment of baseball lingo and great sense of humor, I was able to believably boom out all kinds of baseball terminology on this lively afternoon. No spectator had a clue that there was a blind dude in the booth behind that mic, but the most comical component to me was that my limited knowledge on baseball didn’t deter my delivery at all.

I believe that the pleasure I got from doing that live event probably resembled the buzz actors get when they perform as an authority on a subject that they, in many instances, aren’t especially knowledgeable on.

So, how do you face challenges that come your way?

First, be determined to meet the challenge. You can do it! Remember, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great!”

Second, you need to have a team environment. Decide who to collaborate with and who will help you to see your challenge more clearly. I would not have been successful without Marvin by my side as my necessary Seeing Eye Person.

Third, when faced with a challenge – dive in! I love the saying, “Anything worth doing is worth doing imperfectly until you can learn to do it perfectly.” Do it and grow in the process.

Finally, think about what worked well and how you felt about it. As you reflect on successful events, you can begin to use those positive feelings as an anchor and draw upon them when faced with future challenges.

I don’t know that I will ever call another baseball game, but I am up for the challenge! Are you up for the challenges facing you?

Blake Lindsay is a motivational speaker, author of Blind For a Purpose: Turning Life-Challenges into Purpose In Life, and Outreach Manager of Envision Dallas. He speaks on blindness and the ways in which visual descriptions can help visually-impaired people understand it in the same way that people with normal sight can.