Jim Abbott Featured Motivational Speaker, Former Major League Baseball Pitcher

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ADAPT: Overcoming Challenges

ADAPT: Overcoming Challenges

People will tell you that I overcame obstacles -- maybe. But the truth is I was incredibly blessed in my life. More was given than was ever taken away. Some of you may know that my career statistics weren't that great. There were some incredible highlights and some agonizing low lights. The truth is, I won't go to the Hall of Fame. But if a career can be measured by special moments, lessons learned and a connection with people, then I would stack mine up with anyone's. Maybe there is an obligation to share. To try and learn from the experiences life puts us through. When you play major league baseball it is easy to become self-absorbed. Your world can become very narrow. One of the aspects of speaking is that I enjoy getting out in the real world and seeing how hard people work. I have been amazed at how much their pursuit of excellence is similar to that same pursuit on a baseball diamond. The challenge for me as a professional speaker has been to try and formulate a common language. The word that I have come up with is ADAPT. To continue to move towards our goals we must be willing to adapt. To change, and mold ourselves in order to meet the obstacles in our own way. Using ADAPT as an acronym you can put together a powerful set of words that stand alone in their significance, but they also string together like a chain in an amazing way. A - Adjustability D - Determination A - Accountability P - Perseverance T - Trust

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2012 Imperfect: An Improbable Life

Jim Abbott was born September 19, 1967, in Flint, Michigan without a right hand. He was an All-America hurler at Michigan; won the Sullivan Award in 1987; was the pitcher for the Gold Medal Olympic Team in 1988; and threw a 4-0 no-hitter for the New York Yankees versus Cleveland (September 4, 1993). Jim played for 10 seasons on 4 different teams and ended his big league playing career in 1999.

Abbott has worked with The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) on several initiatives encouraging businesses to hire people with disabilities.

Today, in addition to often being a Guest Pitching Instructor during Spring Training for the Los Angeles Angels, Jim Abbott is a motivational speaker.

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Jim Abbott Featured Motivational Speaker, Former Major League Baseball Pitcher

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Business Topics

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Motivation & Achievement

Topics

Photos

Jim Abbott Featured Motivational Speaker, Former Major League Baseball Pitcher

Select Keynotes

ADAPT: Overcoming Challenges

Select Book Titles

Business Topics

Culture & Society Topics

Healthcare

Motivation & Achievement