‘Look for the silver lining in all your failures,’ Ripken says

Cal Ripken, Jr. gives the keynote address at Hawaii 2004: the Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting.

KOLOA, Hawaii — Perseverance is key to a successful career, according to baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. In reference to the 2,632 consecutive games he played during his career, Mr. Ripken said, “I didn’t intend to break a record. It was a result of my honest approach.”

Mr. Ripken delivered the keynote presentation to a full house here at Hawaii 2004: the Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting.

In an animated presentation — wearing a suit jacket instead of a baseball uniform — the retired Baltimore Orioles shortstop player listed his six points for a successful career.

“No. 1, leadership counts,” he said. “No. 2, success is a process. No. 3, value good sportsmanship. No. 4, value perseverance. No. 5, value both winning and losing. And No. 6, value teamwork.”

Mr. Ripken joked that he was trying to come up with eight points “because I was No. 8, and so I could write a book about them. But I only came up with 6. I know you guys know the stereotypes of athletes. It’s true; we’re not very smart. I know the stereotypes of doctors. You’re all smart, at least on the surface,” he quipped.

He spoke at length about having to defend his streak at times.

“You have to meet the challenges of the day. When times get hard, you have to play it one game at a time,” he said

Mr. Ripken referred several times in his presentation to the positive effect his father had on his life. He said his father used to tell him, “Don’t worry about tomorrow’s game because it’s not here yet.”

He also noted that there can be disappointments in one’s career. “When I started [with the Orioles] we were 0-21 and lost 100-plus games,” he said, adding that people should “look for the silver lining in all your failures.”

He said one of the high points of his career was being a member of a World Series team. One of his most memorable experiences came during his 2,131st game, breaking the record for most consecutive games played. When he made a home run in that game, he said, he ran around the field and shook hands with some of his fans.

“What happened on the field then became a personal experience,” he said.

Since his retirement from baseball after the 2001 season, Mr. Ripken purchased a minor league baseball team in Aberdeen, Md., complete with a $20 million stadium. “I am now a rookie in the business world,” he said of his new venture.

Additionally, he and his wife established the Kelly and Cal Ripken Jr., Foundation in 1992. The goal of this foundation is to use baseball as a tool for teaching young people to develop positive character traits such as leadership, teamwork and good sportsmanship, as well as a healthy lifestyle, according to the foundation.