#015 Young Men Should Learn From Trevor Bauer
You are the one responsible for your behavior.
Imagine being at the top of your career, the greatest in your field, and overnight your career, friendships, and future are completely upended.
Sounds pretty bad doesn’t it?
Well, for Trevor Bauer that was his reality about two years ago.
Long story short, in 2021 Trevor Bauer was one of, if not, the best pitcher in the MLB. Then he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he had been seeing.
The MLB gave him a massive suspension, and apparently few if any players spoke up in his defense once he was cleared of wrongdoing.
A few days ago, Trevor made a video exposing some incredibly damning text messages from his accuser, Lindsay Hill and some other people where it appeared she was clearly expressing her intent to lie about her experiences with Trevor in an effort to take his money.
You can see the video here.
Because we only live once it’s important to learn from other people’s experiences. Unfortunately, Trevor’s experience is one that is all too common these days.
So what’s the lesson here?
Personal responsibility.
About a year ago Trevor posted a video on YouTube called “The Truth” (see it here). In the video he didn’t reveal any text messages, but made a point to refute all accusations of assault that were lobbied against him.
However, there was a 10 second clip in the video where Trevor says the following:
“In evaluating my life over the recent months, it’s clear that I’ve made some poor choices – particularly in regards to the people I’ve chosen to associate with.”
Unfortunately, it has become far too rare to hear genuine words of self reflection from public figures.
Many public figures will get caught up in a bad situation, but rarely do they have the maturity and fortitude to genuinely ask themself what they have done to contribute to the chaos.
This in no way means that Trevor is at fault for what happened.
Nor does it mean that victims of violence or false accusations are solely at fault for what happened to them – quite the opposite.
But it does mean that you should be keenly aware of both the people and circumstances you voluntarily put yourself in.
If you’re reading this in a calm rational state of mind ask yourself:
What are the foreseeable consequences of getting blackout drunk with a bunch of people you don’t know? Most people don’t have your best interest in mind.
What are the foreseeable consequences of hooking up with random women you meet at the bar? There are many potential consequences to hook-up culture.
What are the foreseeable consequences of getting in the car with people you know are intoxicated? It only takes one time to ruin (or end) your life.
Again, this doesn’t mean you are necessarily “at fault” or that you’ll be able to predict every possible circumstance with certainty.
But it does mean the only person you are responsible for is yourself.
Rise above the reactive and immature desire to blame everyone but yourself.
Take the time to reflect on your past choices, and be willing to alter your current and future behavior.
You got this.