Human beings are remarkably good at creating excuses.

When something goes wrong, we instinctively search for reasons outside ourselves. A poor test result becomes the fault of illness, a busy schedule, or a lack of time. These explanations help protect our self-image by suggesting that, under better conditions, we would have succeeded.

But Shohei Ohtani has long rejected that way of thinking.

During his first season in Major League Baseball, he faced numerous challenges—slippery baseballs, unfamiliar mounds, and a completely different competitive environment. These factors could easily have become convenient explanations for poor performance.

Yet Ohtani never framed them as excuses.

Even earlier, during the Premier 12 tournament while he was with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, he was forced to adjust to difficult pitching schedules. Some pitchers insist they must follow a specific rotation—pitching every six days, for example—or they claim they cannot perform well if the rest period is different. Others blame results on the catcher or other external circumstances.

Ohtani dismissed that entire mindset.

To him, these explanations focus on factors beyond one’s control. And if the outcome depends on things you cannot control, dwelling on them provides no real value.

Instead, his philosophy is simple:

Ignore the excuses.
Focus on the work.

By concentrating on what he can control—preparation, execution, and continuous improvement—Ohtani eliminates the mental space where excuses usually grow.

And in doing so, he preserves the one thing every elite athlete needs most:

Responsibility for his own performance.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Chasing Shohei Ohtani: A Beat Reporter’s 10-Year Chronicle, p.66