Ryan Kalish Shows How Lessons From MLB Transcend Into Life After the Pros

As many people who have undergone major transition in their lives can attest, there are lessons that transcends beyond the bounds of the original source of knowledge. Ryan Kalish, former MLB player, Impact Investor, humanitarian, and inventor, has demonstrated this as he took the lessons from his professional baseball career and applied them to his philanthropic endeavors.

Also Read | Celebrated MLB Stars Get Behind New Scripted Baseball-Drama Series, “On Deck”

Dedicated Effort and Relentless Drive

At just 9 years old, Ryan realized his unique talents in baseball and dedicated the rest of his life to make it to the professional level. At a young age his parents instilled in him the importance of dedicated effort. He explains, “as long as I had my heart and soul behind it and gave my best effort, they were proud of me.” This effort paired with his relentless drive, even in the face of bad at-bat or a slump in his statistics, proved to be the key to his ability to reach the major leagues and ultimately earn himself two major league world championships.

Also Read | Google’s New Feature in Search Bar Now Offers Quick Results for Live Sports & TV Shows

Humanitarians know change takes time and patience as communities change their ways and transition into new paradigms. When Ryan transitioned into philanthropic impact investing, he took that knowledge and added in his relentless drive and dedicated effort to create an incredible opportunity for a community in Sumbawa, Indonesia.

Ryan is actively working on a school project in Sumbawa where students pay their school fees in plastic, learn about permaculture, study English, and re-integrate the knowledge back home with their families. The vision is to create a circular economy within the school to keep it sustainable. Ultimately Ryan’s goal is to replicate this structure in other communities across the globe which his dedicated efforts and relentless drive will support him in creating.

Respect the Knowledge of Those Before

In baseball it’s critical that rookies respect the totem pole. This respect demonstrates that the new players understand there is a lot of knowledge gained from their teammates’ time and experience playing the sport. Ryan speaks of how important it is to learn from others by not having a ‘know-it-all’ attitude and he lives by the mantra, “when you start to feel like you know everything, you lose the opportunity for growth.”

As an impact investor there are always new opportunities which lend themselves to new areas of knowledge and growth. After working and partnering with incredible entrepreneurs from around the world at a high level, Ryan has learned the importance of having a team of advisors who lend their experienced knowledge. Advisors such as these helped Ryan early on to remember to slow down, introduce a healthy amount of caution, and deeply contemplate all opportunities before going all in.

Respect and Enjoy the Process

Although Ryan’s MLB was highlighted with two MLB World Series Championships while playing for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, it was also riddled with injuries and fourteen surgeries. The constant absence and re-integration into the sport he loved taught him to appreciate every minute he was able to play and respect the process of recovery.

This respect and enjoyment of the baseball process is supporting Ryan in enjoying every step of his philanthropic impact investing career. As his dedicated effort and relentless drive keep him committed, even in times requiring patience, and his growth mindset keeps him open to new knowledge, his enjoyment of this process is what is truly bringing him happiness in his life after the pros while he makes a profound impact on the world.