“Comparison is the thief of joy,” my friend Andy said as we walked to our cars after a breakfast meeting last week.
I stopped for a second.
Wow, I thought. I love that.
Not because the idea was new to me, but because of how simply and clearly it was said. Sticky points are powerful. They stay with people. They linger. They’re short and memorable. And this one stuck.
But this isn’t a story about messaging.
It’s about one of the most important lessons in baseball — and in life.
In our house, we like to say: “Handle your business.”
If one of us is dealing with a problem — a client issue, a tough conversation, something with a teacher, coach, teammate, colleague, or family member — we don’t sit with it too long. We don’t hope it magically resolves itself. We don’t hand-wring.
We engage.
We make the call.
We have the uncomfortable conversation.
That’s how you handle your business.
When you do that, you’re controlling the controllables. You can’t control how the person on the other end of the line responds, but you can control your effort, your preparation, and your mindset.
In baseball, coaches are constantly telling players to “control the controllables.” If you’re 10, 11, or 12 years old, that phrase can feel abstract. So how do you actually explain it to a kid?
I keep it simple.
Worry about yourself.
Whenever I hear one of our boys comparing himself to a teammate or a friend, that’s what I say.
“If you’re worried about them,” I tell them, “you’re not handling your business. You’re not focused on what you need to do to get better.”
Then I usually add:
“Be like Tom Brady.”
One of our twin boys, Nicky, bristles at that line. He’s heard it so many times it’s borderline annoying. But that’s also why it works. It’s a sticky point.
I’ve been a Michigan fan for as long as I can remember, so I know Brady’s story well. And one of the most powerful lessons he’s ever shared has nothing to do with Super Bowls or rings — it’s about what almost derailed him.
“I had a very good college career at Michigan, but it didn’t start out that way,” Brady wrote recently. “When I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was seventh on the depth chart and redshirting my first year… In practice, I was getting two or three reps at most. I had no shot at seeing the field. I had nobody on the staff or team who knew me and would stand on the table to rally my cause. I thought I was in the worst possible place at Michigan.”
We all know how Brady’s story ends — and it wasn’t luck that made him one of the best quarterbacks to play the game.
At Michigan, Brady didn’t focus on the six quarterbacks ahead of him. He didn’t drain his confidence or joy by comparing himself to everyone else. He handled his business. He controlled what he could control.
And that’s the lesson I want my kids — and myself — to remember.
When you stop comparing and start focusing on your own work, your own preparation, your own growth, you don’t just protect your joy.
You give yourself a chance to become something more.
About Baseball Dad & PR Guy
I started Baseball Dad & PR Guy to share what I’ve learned from two worlds that have more in common than you’d think — youth baseball and public relations. Both teach preparation, communication, leadership, patience, and how to handle life’s curveballs.
Through my 12-year-old son Alex, his teammates, and his coaches, I’ve come to love baseball — all its beauty and all its challenges. My goal is to help baseball parents avoid common mistakes and support the journey their son or daughter is pursuing. On the PR side, my goal is to help young public relations professionals reach their potential.
Baseball and public relations both teach lessons that transcend the ball field and the PR world — so there’s really no reason not to subscribe.😎
⚾️ Join our growing community of parents helping parents: Travel Baseball Moms & Dads and Baseball Parents Podcast on Facebook. Please also check out my new website, tonymanolatos.com, and my linkapalooza. 🔗