Mark Baker is someone that has changed how I think. I have him to thank for many lessons.
In his books Anaerobics and his Gang Fit series, he shares this nugget of information. And if you’re not familiar with his work, I want to introduce you to it today. It’s both eloquent and profound. Think about it and it might lead to some personal eye-opening for you.
Remove the shit from your life.
Don’t just spray the shit with perfume.
Bombay Learned the Hard Way
Remember the Mighty Ducks movies? I’m talking specifically about D2.
Bombay gets hired as head coach of Team USA for the Junior Goodwill Games.
At first, he sees dollar signs…
The photoshoots for his endorsement contract.
The fancy limos with a personal driver that takes him anywhere he wants o go.
The beachfront condo in California.
The sponsorship events and invites to parties with the A-list coaches of the time.
And then… Like a guy that completely loses himself…
He completely loses himself.
As a “come from nothing” guy, Bombay wasn’t driven by the glitz and glam. He fell in love with coaching and those kids in the first movie.
So what happened?
Bombay took the job as a perfume sprayer instead of as a shit remover.
Everything I listed above was the “shit” Mark Baker talks about.
Know What you Want= Remove the “Shit”
As a coach, you have to optimize for what you want.
If you don’t want to do 1 press conference a day, don’t coach in the NHL, NFL, NBA, or MLB.
If you can handle one press conference a day but 2 crosses the line… Don’t coach for the Yankees.
If you don’t want to be on the road recruiting when you could be at practice because you enjoy the “coaching craft” more, maybe taking a D1 assistant job isn’t for you.
They will spray the jobs with perfume just like they did for Bombay.
You’ll be paid well. You’ll have a nice benefits package. Your wife might be able to quit her job and move with you.
But spray your life with as much perfume as you want…
At the end of the day…
If there is shit you don’t like in your job, you’ll smell it.
Questions to Ponder
We all know a coach who has had a ton of success at a level and he stays there forever.
We sit on the sidelines and judge them for not taking the next job. You have to move up the ranks as a coach, right? We all have to want to coach in the NHL.
But…
What if they are just in jobs where they were able to remove all the shit from?
What if they are incredibly happy where they are at?
What if they are aware that the next level up would be spraying their life with perfume?
They don’t want the shit sprayed with perfume. They just don’t want the shit at all.
Maybe you took a new job this year? How’s the added shit?
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