Since the beginning of my time, sports have been the nucleus to my life. The blood, sweat, and tears. The trials and tribulations. The sweetness of victory; and the agony of defeat. They have given me unforgettable memories that I got to share with my family whom I love dearly; and molded me into the corporate athlete that I am today. The type of person that clocks in and grinds ones tail off utilizing the same grit, might, and skill that we picked up playing sports. The field may look a little different; but the desire, or “hunger to succeed” (as I like to often call it), never dies inside of you. If you are a true athlete, it burns and yearns for more challenges and knowledge daily.

I developed my hunger to succeed at a very young age. I was the overly excited, high energy kid that was bouncing off walls and running all over the place; at all times. My mother and father immigrated to the US before my time and worked hard; living paycheck to paycheck; putting us before their own needs; just to give us a chance at the American dream. Once I was able to get my hands on a baseball bat at the age of 3, I was engulfed to the game; and it became my life. My brothers and I grew up eating, breathing, and dreaming sports. We grew up in a rough neighborhood in Santa Ana, Ca; so sports were an outlet to escape the violence and bad influences going on around us. My childhood in a nutshell was running the streets with my older brother, cousins, and childhood friends. Playing every sport imaginable; dreaming of greatness. While we made our best efforts to avoid the troubles of the ghetto, sometimes the troubles came knocking. So, early on, the streets taught me one important lesson. If you didn’t step up, you got stepped on. And, It was that attitude that helped me play with a chip on my shoulder. Every time I had the ball on my hands, or the bat on my shoulders, I had to show everyone who I was; and where I came from.

My mother instilled in me the ambition, the charisma, and the unconditional love; with endless stories and teachings. She always reminded me that the sky was the limit; and to chase my dreams passionately. But, along the way, to never lose sight of who I was, where i wanted to go in life, and to love and respect one’s family and culture. She would always tell me, “Never forget who you are and where you came from”. Powerful words beyond she would repeat often. Because to her, value is not based on material possessions, prestige, or riches. What truly makes someone an outstanding human being are the morals, the virtues, and the character traits that one stands for. She grew up extremely poor financially; with very little school. But rich in love, pride, and wisdom. Her generosity, strength, selflessness, and compassion is admirable beyond belief. She taught us that in life, nothing is ever given to you; you have to earn it. Even, “throw yourself in the fire” every once in a while if you must. Every time our spirits would get down, she would remind us to never feel sorry for ourselves. While we may have had a bad day/game/circumstance in that moment in time, life was from over. We needed to count the blessings we do have and not drown in our sorrows. And, any righteous person should understand that the food you have on your plate, the roof over your head, or having someone to love and be loved is a blessing. In my own journey traveling the world playing sports, it gave me the privilege to not only see the world through other peoples’ eyes; but I gained invaluable knowledge along the way. It always reminded me (even in my darkest days) of how blessed I was. And even now, I count my blessings every day and thank the lord for blessing me with the little I have.

My father, inherited me my game (as I would like to believe), given the fact that he was a phenomenal athlete himself. He was a professional boxer in Mexico prior to him immigrating to the states. While stat trackers didn’t exist back in his playing days, legend has it that he once knocked out another boxer in 30 second; of the First round! (I have the article and the picture to prove it). However, beyond that, he instilled in me the commitment, loyalty, and the drive to give every game/goal in life everything that I have; with relentlessness and grace. He was a man of few words; but his word was the law. He was a disciplinary who did not believe in excuses; and did not tolerate quitting. He made it known to us that success would be a product of our own doing; willed by vigorous worth ethic and hunger to succeed. You have to want it bad enough. He always had his way of bringing out the best in me. When I was at my lowest point feeling sorry for myself after going 0-4 with 2 strike outs, he would hold his tongue for most of the ride back home; then with a smirk think out loudly, “I can’t believe you couldn’t hit those guys. I can hit them with my eyes closed”. Those sarcastic words were also very powerful in their respective way. Of course I knew better than to raise my voice to my dad or say anything for that matter. I would just let those words sink in and burn. It always served as a reminder that there was no time to feel sorry for myself nor make excuses; it was only about getting better. Till this day, I live by the beliefs and morals my parents instilled in me. I don’t make excuses when things don’t go my way, I only work harder; and I never forget where I came from. My parents ignited the fire that burns within me to succeed and be the best in everything that I do. The journey that life and sports took me through only strengthened that flame.

From an early age I excelled in baseball and football earning accolades and recognition along the way. I was blessed with some great hand/eye coordination and I could run like the Santa Ana winds (a nickname I came to earn Im my UCI Baseball playing days). I was the little Mexican American kid that was never satisfied and always wanted to be the best in everything. I lifted with the strongest guys on the team, ran sprints with/against the fastest, and hit with/against the best in any of my teams I played with. I knew that at the end of the day, the result derived from me; because as my dad would say, “it is not the arrow, it is the Indian”. The blood, sweat, and tears; the trials and tribulations; the sweetness of victory; and the agony of defeat. All of those unforgettable moments in sports that live in my heart and mind forever. The priceless memories and the many goals accomplished along the way. From a kid from Santa Ana, CA. to becoming a starting Center Fielder for UC Irvine (2011-2012); and accomplishing my childhood goal of playing Division I Baseball.

Now, many years after my last at bat, I still carry that same fire inside of me, only this time I have replaced my baseball cleats and uniform for some Stacey Adams and a suit. I am a Manager for a community of 250 homes; where every day brings a new challenge, trial, or task that must be achieved. Apart from that, there are goals that must be achieved to keep the investors happy. The fields in which i used to hit doubles and run down fly balls have turned into an office where approximately 90% of the people that come to visit have a problem with someone/something; and I am the problem solver. While the corporate world has personally brought me my own challenges, I learned to approach work much like a sports game. In short, one must work as a team to achieve goals, limit mistakes, establish great communication, and earn the respect from the people around you. The best way to earn anyone’s respect: work hard every single day. Remember, no one cares about your excuses. The only thing that matters in the corporate world is results. But above all else, the ability that is best interpreted by us athletes (and the main reason why I personally like to hire athletes), is the ability to stay cool and collective under pressure situations. I recall vividly when I got hired to my first job after retiring from baseball. I was interviewing for a Sales position as a Leasing Consultant for the Property Management Company. In the interview, I was told that sales was a “numbers game” and there would be a lot of pressure with the position. Their concern then was that I may not have been suited to handle it. Of course, being the athlete that I am, I quickly interpreted the question into my sports background, detailed one example out of my thousands of pressure situations that I was under while playing, and got the job. Eight years and a couple of promotions later, I am now managing my own corporate team the same way I manage my baseball team.

The purpose of my blog is to serve as a realm of knowledge to any athlete in the world. From the ones still utilizing their abilities breaking records in their respective sports, to the athletes who traded their cleats for suits vía injury or by choice. I am here for all of you. If I am being completely transparent, once upon a time, I suffered a career ending shoulder injury. It was devastating and put me in a depression. I lost all hope, value, and love for myself. I was trying to grasp my injury, a few obstacles that were out of my control, and what my future would be. I was in a dark place for a while. I felt worthless. It took a lot of positive reinforcement and a little help from my guitar (which I began playing during depression) to help me stop feeling sorry for myself; and instead feel blessed for all of the things I did accomplish. It was not the end of my journey. I was only closing a chapter; and beginning another one. Hence, the birth of the corporate athlete that I am today! So my corporate athletes out there, you are special! Understand your worth, value yourself, and swing for the stars on the daily.