Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Lenny Silva is married and the father of two boys. He has a passion for baseball and had a Hall of Fame collegiate career. He is a coach and trusted mentor to young adults in his community. He has twenty-three years' experience as a licensed financial advisor.

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Nine Innings

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Introduction.....................................................................ixStreet Smart.....................................................................1Dream Car By Len Zen.............................................................19Jacob Becomes Mentally Tough and Learns About The Four C's.......................35Joshua Stops Procrastinating.....................................................57Understanding the Importance of Being a Good Student Athlete.....................73Anxiety in Baseball and Life.....................................................87Health is Wealth.................................................................103Understanding the Importance of Money and Investing..............................121Control Your Debt and Spending Habits............................................135Sample of a Monthly Budget Form:.................................................153Instructions to Balance Your Checkbook:..........................................155Goal Setting Workshop:...........................................................159Building Dynamic Credit:.........................................................161Financial Investment Guide:......................................................165Financial Documents Archive Checklist:...........................................169Acknowledgments:.................................................................173About the Author.................................................................181

Chapter One

Street Smart

As athletes playing baseball, we are all taught about the importance of being prepared. I still remember advice my little league coach gave the boys and girls on my team. While playing defense, it is important to know what you're going to do with the baseball prior to it being hit your way. I used that advice throughout my entire baseball career, including college. It is simple advice and an important action principle when playing defense.

The coach would explain that prior to our pitcher delivering the pitch, understand the game situation and run your options through your mind. This game moves so quickly and you really don't have time to think. We only have time to react and make a play. Having a high baseball IQ and using your instincts separates the good from the great players of the game.

As a shortstop-playing defense, we have so many options when making a play to get an out. It is very important to always be thinking and prepared to make a play before the ball is hit our way. I would run all the options through my mind prior to the pitch being thrown. If the opponent had runners on first and second base with nobody out, here are some options a player at shortstop could be thinking about:

1. If the ball is hit to my right in the hole near third base, I could throw it to the third baseman for a force play, or I could pivot and throw to second base for a possible double play. I would say to my third baseman "If the ball goes here, be ready because I may be coming to you for the force out." Communicating with teammates was crucial. 2. If it was a slow bounding ball hit right to me, then I would charge it, catching the ground ball off the infield grass, throwing it to first base, getting one out. 3. If the ball is hit to my left, then I could catch the ball, tag second base, and throw it to first for a double play.

These three types of scenarios would run through my mind prior to the pitcher delivering the pitch. You must always be prepared and understand what you are going to do with the baseball prior to it being hit your way so you increase the chance that you will make the right choice and play for your team. Become a highly intelligent athlete and this action principle of being prepared can be applied to any sport you love to play as it can help both boys and girls become more successful in athletics.

In life it is so important to always be prepared. If we take what you learned from the game of baseball and applied that same technique to your life then maybe you could avoid a dangerous situation or get to safety if you are ever thrust into one.

Life Lesson: Try to be prepared and always expect the unexpected.

In life, I call this being street smart. A street smart person is somebody who is prepared has some basic knowledge and a cool head when faced with danger. A person who thinks ahead and has good instincts remaining calm may have an increased chance to survive a dangerous situation that may come up unexpectedly.

Being street smart is a catch phrase to help the child become more mentally tough and focused. It allows you to take action when your natural survival instincts are sending you warning bells. We all need to be aware of our surroundings and thinking about options if we are ever faced with danger. We can react more quickly than people who are not prepared. All of us have survival instincts and we sometimes refer to them as gut feelings. This is a warning signal to your brain that something does not feel right and you don't want to ignore it.

If you do experience this type of feeling, then understand that you about to enter into a dangerous situation and it is important to remain calm and begin to look around for options and ways to flee the area to safety.

As a parent, we try to educate our children and prepare them to avoid talking to strangers and anyone who may have bad intentions towards them. If your child feels uncomfortable or threatened, then they need to take action. We try to protect our children from danger but we cannot always be there with them. It comes down to the child to make the right choices.

Unfortunately, it is not that easy to have your child just be aware of strangers. In the majority of violent cases against children, they involve someone the parent or child may know and trust. We need to educate our children of all ages about being safe and their right to protect themselves from harm.

What is a child to do? What is a parent to do? As a parent, we want to teach and protect them from uncomfortable situations and anyone who may pose a threat to their safety. This includes strangers and people whom they may know and trust. We must make the child aware that their safety comes first. Once the situation is detected as dangerous, you must take action to get yourself to safety and be vigilant in your efforts to do so. Being prepared, keeping a cool head and using basic knowledge are all traits to help you get to safety while dealing with the pressure of any traumatic event that may be occurring.

I teach my boys that out in the world, safety is much more important than having good manners. We all want our kids to have good manners and be polite by saying please and thank you. In the event of an unexpected danger, they must seek help and get away.

If any child feels uncomfortable and threatened in any way, then make them aware that is okay to be rude. They don't need to be polite to strangers. They need to understand that their safety comes first, so get away as quickly as possible and find help.

Life Lesson: Street Smart people recognize danger and become vigilant when fleeing to safety. It is not the time to be polite; strangers...