Curve balls, change-ups and strikeouts.

I have always said, don't judge a pitcher until he goes through the line-up the second time. Hitters start seeing the ball better. They pick up the spin and rotation better. Their timing is better.

The pitcher then needs to adapt. He needs to change things up as he goes to counter the hitter's strategy.

Second time through.

It plays out in life as well. Doesn't matter what situation you find yourself in. No matter what level of adversity. Once you've seen it once, you are better equipped to handle whatever hits you the second time around.

You gain experience. You gain perspective. You gain insight.

There is one catch though. Sometimes you can't just "learn from the situation." You need to unlearn.

The great Zen philosopher Alan Watts once said "A scholar tries to learn something everyday; a student of Buddhism tries to unlearn something daily.” Unlearning creates a paradigm shift that rotates the view of the situation 180 degrees. By changing the lens, the situation itself creates a different dynamic altogether. Rather then second time through, it becomes first time through.

The key is knowing when to learn something or unlearn something altogether.

Batter up!