Jim Sundberg Today
In the early years, his acceptance of speaking engagements was generally out of a sense of responsibility because he had seen others players before him take the time to address fans. Public speaking was one of the most fearful things he did but continued to push through the fear until the fear turned to fun. And the fun of speaking turned into a passion and a realization that he was good at it. He was actually a natural at speaking like he was with gear on behind the plate.
Pushing through fear to attain a better understanding of himself and the added level of success, would actual be a major theme for his life. Because what most of you do not realize about Jim is the great private struggle he confronted with fears of every kind.
On the very front end of his professional baseball career, the one issue that Jim thought would keep him out of the “Big Leagues” was his fear of flying. For several years, he privately handled the emotional trauma he was feeling by himself without understanding that, the fear of “what might happen” or “what if”, was generally not real.
Once in a discussion with a US fighter pilot, Jim asked the pilot if he experienced fear going into battle? The pilot responded, “courage doesn’t have the absence of fear, courage is moving forward even when confronted with fear. Some fears are normal, many are unrealistic”. As with many fears, if one has the courage to push through it, with all its emotional anxiety and energy, there is great reward on the other side when the fear turns. And it will!
