One of Shohei Ohtani’s defining traits is that he constantly seeks change — and is never afraid of it.

In business, and in sports, when something works extremely well, the natural instinct is to preserve it. Changing a successful formula requires courage. There is always the fear: What if I change something and it fails?

Most people choose stability.

Ohtani does not.

In just his second professional season in Japan, he achieved double-digit wins and double-digit home runs. In his third year, he won 15 games and captured the pitching Triple Crown. In his fourth year, he led his team to a Japan Series championship and was named league MVP.

With results like that, many players would aim to maintain the status quo.

Ohtani did the opposite.

Whenever he discovered something new in training — a slight adjustment, a different approach — he tested it immediately. Even after success, he refused to stand still.

His reasoning was simple:

“If nothing changes, there’s a high chance you’ll get the same results as the year before.”

Or worse.

Of course, change does not always produce better results. But for Ohtani, growth comes from experimentation — from repeatedly learning what works and what does not.

More than that, he finds it enjoyable.

Improvement, for him, is not a burden. It is part of the fun.

Source

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

Opening a Path, Crossing the Ocean: The True Story of Shohei Ohtani, p.226