Thursday! 2-45: The Universe is You (And Also Cal Ripken, Jr.)
V2, I45
Have you ever read advice such as “If you put in the work, the universe will reward you” or “Good luck is the reward the universe gives for persistence”? Often times, you’ll see words like “the world” or “the universe” or “karma” or “fate” or “the Muse” in handy little aphorisms1. I’m here to tell you none of those things exist. We use them as shorthand for “whatever unexplained force in the world seems to work for or against us based on how successful or beaten-down we’re feeling at the time”. Sometimes, folks use God in that role, which isn’t right either.
In truth, the source of all the “universe” stuff in the clever little sayings is you.
Yes, you. Sitting right there, reading this, right now. You are the universe. You are the world. You are The Muse2. When you do your creative work, you reward yourself. You don’t recognize you are rewarding yourself, but that’s only because building good habits and putting yourself in the right place isn’t exciting. Let me give you an example.
Cal Ripken, Jr. was one of the greatest shortstops ever to play baseball but he had something going against him when he hits the big leagues. He was a big guy — 6’4” and over 200 pounds. He wasn’t out of shape or anything like that, just big in a sport where shortstops were almost all small and quick. None of them hit very well, certainly not with the sort of power Ripken had shown in the minor leagues. He had mostly played third base in the mid and upper levels of the minor leagues, which better fit his size, arm strength, and speed. Still, he played his entire second season at shortstop and stayed there as a Gold Glover winner and All-Star until age forced him back to third base at the age of 36.
Cal was not terribly exciting to watch on the field. He wasn’t flashy, didn’t make a bunch of acrobatic, diving plays. He didn’t leap and jump and sprint. He made difficult plays look easy, including one of the toughest fielding plays in all of baseball — the play where he has to take a ground ball hit to his right with a left hand backhand, stop moving to his right, plant himself, and make a strong throw to first to get the runner out. Baseball fans know it as “the grounder in the hole” because it’s hit to the gap between the third baseman and the shortstop. Cal made that play what must have been hundreds of times and he was nearly flawless. Want to know his secret? Position.
See, Cal knew he didn’t have the speed most other shortstops did and his size made it a bit more difficult for him to bend to the grounders quite as quickly. He needed a different advantage. He got it by study. He learned how to put himself where the grounders were most likely to be hit. He knew what his pitchers would throw to the batter and where the batted balls would most likely show up. He studied hitters and where they liked to hit certain pitches. Then, he made sure he was where he needed to be. Watching Cal Ripken, Jr. was like watching a fielding machine. He always seemed to be just where he needed to be when someone his the ball to his side of the field.
Now, we could say that Cal did the work and the universe rewarded him. That’s what we do with creative people, right? A writer puts in the work every day and, magically, the Universe’s Prize Patrol shows up at her door and showers her with offers and sales and interviews and television show options. Wow!
Except…no. That writer didn’t get mystical universe swag. That writer got the due reward for her hard work. She put herself in a place where she could make her art, put her art in front of people, then go back and make more art. She was her own “universe”, her own “karma”. Like Cap Ripken putting himself where the ball would have to blow a hole right through him for him to miss it, she made sure her art was done and circulating in places it could be found.
That writer could be you. Heck, I’ll even say that writer should be you.
Now, let me rain just a little bit on the game here. You can do all the work, put yourself in position to succeed, and still not get all the success you want or feel you deserve. Ripken’s Baltimore Orioles won only one World Series — 1983, his second year in the league. He played 21 seasons. He didn’t win a Gold Glove award for his defensive prowess every year, or even most of them3. Though he went to 19 All-Star Games, he wasn't universally considered the greatest shortstop of his time. There were always others. Cal wasn't guaranteed all the accolades and rewards his hard work might have brought him. That didn't matter to him and it ought not matter to you either. Put in the work. Be in the places where you can catch success as it flies past. You won't get it all, but you'll get enough.
You should know, that Cal is widely regarded as one of the best shortstops who ever played the game. He may not have won all the awards but his work and his influence on baseball endures. Isn’t that what you want for your art — some success here and a lasting legacy when you’re done? It is most assuredly what I want for mine. You have the best way to get there right in front of you. Might as well start. Remember, there is no universe waiting to reward your amazing art. There is only you — your work, your persistence, your skill and guile, your craft and wisdom, and your desire to do your best art with your best skill. That, though, is all you can control. Fortunately, it is also all you need.
You’ll get the rewards. In due time.
Now, is time for me to point you to my Patreon. Like my man Cal, sometimes you have to go to management and ask for a little extra. You’re my management. What do you say?
[Set me up at $2, $5, or $20 a month. It’s quick and easy!]
Those of you who are already patrons should have gotten a little surprise in your e-mail box last week. Let me know if it didn’t show up and I’ll do what I can to get it to you. Also, keep your eyes peeled for more!
What I Wrote Last Week
From a Greek word meaning “definition” and a Greek guy named Hippocrates, who wrote a whole book called Aphorisms. His book is the origin of the first-ever aphorism: “Life is short; Art is long”.
I mused more about The Muse back in February of last year, with a clever little mostly-fictional confrontation. It’s rather clever, if I do say so myself. And I do.
He won twice.