What Ken Griffey Jr. Can Teach You About Reinventing Yourself

The photo is amazing. A golfer, just after winning an elusive championship. On the ground, bent over, in exhaustion and elation. And the moment was captured by…

A baseball hall of famer? Huh?

Yep, Seattle Mariners Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. took that now-famous photo of golfer Rory McIlroy winning the Masters, ending years of frustration for him.

But how did Griffey land at the 18th green at such a seminal moment?

The short version: he wanted to be less conspicuous at his daughter’s basketball games. So he picked up a camera and started shooting. And got good at it. Really good. Good enough to get a press credential for one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world.

I’m sure it was unexpected for Griffey to take this path. His father, Ken Griffey Sr., is also a baseball Hall of Famer. So naturally, the son stayed in the family business.

Many athletes after retiring don’t know what to do with themselves. From the time they were kids, that sport was all that they did. It’s sort of like having to relearn life in a way.

Maybe you’re in the same boat. You’ve worked 10, 20, 25 years in the same job, or same field. Maybe you enjoy it—and that’s fantastic to hear! But maybe you’ve stayed in that field because you think that’s all you know. Or believe, that’s all you can do.

So day after day, you get in your car, or take the train, to an office you don’t want to be in anymore. Because in a way, you feel stuck. Or trapped.

And maybe on weekends, you reconnect with yourself through your hobby. It could be cooking or woodworking. Or photography. You’re good at it, it brings you joy, but you figure you can’t make a living doing that.

And maybe it’s time to reconsider that idea.

What pro athletes experience is instructive for the rest of us. They often retire twice—once from their playing career, and then from whatever work they choose after that.

And the thing is, you may discover that you’re good enough at that hobby or side gig, that it becomes your main thing.

But first, there’s something you should consider. And that’s who you are.

Griffey Jr. wasn’t a baseball player. He was someone who played baseball.

He discovered he had a knack for sports photography, and it led him to an iconic moment.

Too often, we tied our sense of who we are to what we do. And when that thing—the job, the career, the field—disappears, or becomes unstable, you disappear or get a little wobbly.

When Identity Is Tied to a Title

Here’s what I want you to know: You don’t have to feel locked into one field for the rest of your life. You can change your mind. You can be curious enough about your hobby that maybe, just maybe, that becomes a second career for you.

So how do you start loosening that grip on identity, especially when it’s served you for years?

It starts with permission. Not permission from your boss, your partner, or your past. But from you.

Griffey gave himself the space to be curious. To take a camera to a basketball game, just to blend in a little. After that, he kept going. He practiced. He refined. He studied. He wasn’t trying to become the next Annie Leibovitz. He just followed the thread of something that sparked his interest. And that thread led to a press pass at Augusta.

Following the Thread of Curiosity

You’re not going to get there overnight. That’s ok. But if you never start, you’ll never get there.

For you, photography may not be your jam. But maybe it’s writing. Or leading workshops. Or starting a small business out of your kitchen or garage. Here’s the key: you don’t have to quit your job to begin exploring. Shifting your mindset to one of curiosity will set you on the right course.

Give yourself the same advice you’d give a friend: try something out. Follow the thread. Go from “I’m just messing around with this” to “Huh, maybe I’m good at it.”

Here’s a deeper truth: you are more than your job title. You always have been.

What You Do Is Not All You Are

That thing you do on weekends? The project everybody raves about? The role you step into when your team’s in chaos? None of that is a fluke. That’s all you. And if you give it some attention, some intention—it might become something iconic.

Needing to know what the ending looks like may be holding you back. Be open to just taking that first photo. Or writing that first paragraph. Or making that first connection.

Identity isn’t static. It evolves, when you allow it to happen.

Griffey didn’t wait around for someone to just hand him a new identity. He gave himself permission to explore. And in picking up a camera, he found a new way to express the same instincts that made him great on the field: timing, intuition, and feel.

This is the opportunity in front of you, too. Your next career chapter doesn’t erase what came before; it continues to build on it. And, you never know—the side project, the hobby, the thing you can’t stop thinking about might just lead you to your own version of the 18th green.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career and health coach specializing in helping mid-stage professionals gain clarity on their career journey. I’ve written a guide on how to escape the work hamster wheel. Click here to download yours.