Baseball season is in full swing, but it might be a very different game if Pete Browning had not broken his bat in 1884.

The story of how the iconic Louisville Slugger baseball bat came to be is fascinating. According to the famous bat company’s history, it all began when the 17-year-old son of J.F. Hillerich skipped out of work one day to watch a local baseball game. Browning, the star of the hometown team, broke his bat during the game. Young Bud Hillerich, a woodworking apprentice, invited him to his father’s woodshop, offering to make a new bat for him.

Browning, who was known as the “Louisville Slugger,” used the new bat and had three hits in his next game. Pretty soon, more players started to visit the shop for bats.

Bud’s father was not pleased by this development, until it became quite apparent that the growing demand for bats and the ensuing profits could not be denied. And the Louisville Slugger became more than one hitter’s nickname.

Currently, more than 3,000 Louisville Sluggers are manufactured each day, and that number swells to 5,000 during spring training. Young Bud Hillerich saw an opportunity to help one person and changed the face of the sport.

Baseball teaches many lessons and offers plenty of inspiration, even from decades-old stories. So many examples of innovation and perseverance come from the sport. And they often relate to business.

We’re often told in business that we should work on our weaknesses instead of our strengths, but let me tell you about Jim Kaat, who pitched many years for my hometown Minnesota Twins. Kaat went to talk to his new pitching coach, Johnny Sain, during spring training before the 1966 season. Sain asked Kaat to name his top four pitches and what pitches he felt he should work on the most.

Kaat said his best pitch was his fastball, followed by his curve, slider and changeup. He thought if he improved on his slider and changeup, he would have a good season.

His coach disagreed. Sain told him: “I want you to take a different approach. Work on your fastball. I know it’s your favorite pitch, so go out there in practice, warm-ups and during games and concentrate on your fastball. Throw your fastball 80 to 90 percent of the time all year, and you’ll win a lot of ball games.”

That season, Kaat threw fastball after fastball and won 25 games to become the American League’s pitcher of the year.

I’m a big believer in continuous improvement. We all can use extra practice and work to get better. I have a saying: "Good, better, best; never rest until good be better and better, best."

Then there’s the value of encouragement.

When Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became a target for racial hate mail and even death threats. Before one game, Robinson received a threatening phone call that left him so shaken that he was unable to concentrate on the game.

Robinson struck out in one inning with bases loaded. In another inning, he committed a fielding error. The crowd screamed obscenities at him. A time-out was called and the Dodger shortstop, Pee Wee Reese, walked up to the shaken Robinson, put his arm around him, and said: “Jackie, you are the greatest ballplayer I have ever seen. You can do it. And I know something else. One of these days you are going into the Hall of Fame. So, hold your head up high and play ball like only you can do it.”

Robinson went on to deliver a game-winning hit for his team.

Many years later, Robinson recalled the incident when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He said of Pee Wee Reese: “He saved my life and my career that day. I had lost my confidence, and Pee Wee picked me up with his words of encouragement. He gave me hope when all hope was gone.”

Mackay’s Moral: You’ll knock it out of the park if you learn these baseball lessons.

When Pat Riley was coaching the New York Knicks in the early 1990s, he wanted to motivate his team. The team kept the usual stats on scoring, assists, rebounds and the like, but one year Riley decided to begin measuring hustle -- how many rebounds players went for even if they didn’t succeed; how many times a player would make an extra effort to snatch a loose ball; how often someone would make a steal attempt. Riley posted his “Hustle Stats” in the Knicks’ locker room after every game, without any additional comment on his part. Riley’s players took notice and soon became a top-level team.

Today’s sports landscape is filled with analytics that chart all these stats. Focus on results, yes, but keep an eye on your level of effort to reach the top.

It’s really no different in business. It’s just that the stats are reflected in the bottom line.

I recently saw two T-shirts that grabbed my attention. One said “Hustle or go broke.” The other read “Hustle now/relax later.” If there was ever a shirt for an entrepreneur, this would be the one.

That’s what I did when I started my envelope manufacturing company many moons ago. I basically kissed my wife and told her, “I’ll see you in five years.” It takes that kind of hustle to get a business off the ground.

There are a number of attributes a person needs to succeed in life. Two of them are outside our control – talent and luck. Hustle is a third component, and it can definitely be developed and cultivated. Hustling is important for anyone who wants to be successful.

Good things may come to those who wait, but only the things that are left by those who hustle. I’ve always felt that it doesn’t take any special ability to hustle, just a deep-down burning desire to get ahead. Anything you lack in talent can be made up with desire.

President Thomas Jefferson said: “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.”

Hustlers know they need to develop two skills. First is learning to network. Often it’s not what you know, but whom you know. You need to know as many people as possible before you might need their help. And knowing the right people can save time.

Second, you must reject reacting negatively to rejection. Rejection is part of life. You can’t avoid it. Handling rejection is a necessary skill for success, especially in my line of work -- sales. You can’t take rejection personally.

I like to analyze every failure. I always want to know why people say no to my sales proposals, and I’m not afraid to ask. Was it me? Was it my product? Price? Think about what you could have done differently. Then record it in your post-call notes. The next time, you’ll be better prepared.

Forbes magazine once did a story on the nine habits of productive people. One of them was focus, specifically using your morning to focus on yourself and what you need to accomplish that day.

It’s easy to have focus when everything is going well, but successful people keep their focus when they are staring at defeat. A sure way to fail is to lose focus.

Hustlers have intense, laser-like focus. They focus on one thing. Trying to get everything will get you nothing. Hustlers eliminate distractions.

Hustlers don’t do things because they have to. They do things because they choose to. They have self-determination. They don’t blame others; they keep moving forward.

Most of us are scared stiff at the prospect of taking risks. Not hustlers. They embrace risk-taking. They think taking no risks is the biggest risk.

Hustlers love what they do. Imran Asghar, founder of the internet auto parts retailer 24/7 Spares, said: “If you don’t truly love what you do it becomes very difficult to excel and experience success. It is much easier to dedicate the majority of your time to something when you are passionate about it.”

Finally, hustlers never quit. They have grit. They love to practice and get better each day.

Mackay’s Moral: Rustle up your hustle to build your business muscle.

When I am asked what I would like on my tombstone, my standard reply is, “He couldn’t sleep fast enough.” For my entire life, I’ve been afraid that I will miss something, so I cheat on sleep. I can’t tell you how many years I’ve been getting by on five to six hours of sleep.

After listening to “The Sleep Doctor,” I might have to reassess my sleeping habits.

Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with a diploma from the American Board of Sleep Medicine, and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. With a specialty in sleep disorders, he is one of only 168 psychologists in the world with these credentials and distinction. You may have seen him on a variety of TV shows like "The Dr. Oz Show," where he also serves on the clinical advisory board.

I invited Dr. Breus to speak to my Roundtable members at a reunion this spring in Arizona. He held us spellbound for 75 minutes and certainly did not put any of us to sleep!

I’ve always considered my sleep deprivation a badge of honor. This is bad! Very bad, according to Dr. Breus.

The Sleep Doctor said that adults who regularly get less than five hours or more than 10 hours of sleep have double the mortality rate. WOW! It’s also hazardous to your health and performance.

Dr. Breus dispelled the idea that everyone needs eight hours of sleep. Everyone has a circadian rhythm, meaning we go through five 80-100-minute cycles of sleep each night -- or at least we’re supposed to. That’s averages 540 minutes, or 7.5 hours, of sleep.

The Sleep Doctor shared many secrets that I think you will find beneficial. For example, if you fall asleep almost immediately when your head hits your pillow, you are sleep-deprived. It should take you 15-20 minutes to fall asleep. Ironically, the more sleep-deprived you are, the more your brain tells you that you are doing fine.

If your alarm gets you up almost every morning, you are not getting enough sleep.

Dr. Breus said that about 75 percent of U.S. adults -- over 70 million -- have some form of a sleep problem. Roughly one-third of the people in the United States -- about 40 million -- suffer from some form of insomnia. Sleep apnea is No. 2. There are more than 88 sleep disorders.

He said sleep after an event helps you learn from an experience. If you are sleep-deprived, your reaction time and muscle memory are reduced. The same holds true in business.

Light is the single biggest disruptor of sleep, according to the Sleep Doctor. Before the invention of the light bulb, people worked during the daytime and slept when it was dark. The light bulb changed everything. Use a night-light if you must get up during the night. Bright light wakes up your system and makes it harder to go back to sleep. If you travel a lot, bring a sleep mask to keep things dark.

Dr. Breus joked that he has saved more marriages as a sleep specialist than a marriage counselor, just by getting couples back in bed together, sleeping comfortably. When you walk in your bedroom, you want to have an environment that is conducive to sleep.

He recommended these steps for better sleep:

1. Stick to a schedule. Get up at the same time, and go to bed at the same time. You can sleep 30 minutes extra on weekends, but any more and your biological clock shifts. Your body loves regularity.

2. Stop working at the same time every day. You must take a mental break, as well as a physical break.

3. Get ready for the next day so you aren’t running around in the morning.

4. Have an electronics curfew, with the exception of a TV.

5. Engaging in meditation or prayer just before going to sleep is very beneficial. It helps calm down the brain.

6. Exercise daily.

7. Get 15 minutes of sunlight every morning.

8. Journal what is bothering you a few hours before going to bed. Get it out of your head.

9. Maintain hydration.

As the Irish proverb says: “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.”

Mackay’s Moral: Wake up and discover the benefits of good sleep!