I’ve got a problem, and I think you might too.

I want to go fast but have no idea where I’m going.

Let me explain.

This past week I watched the documentary on Nick Saban that ESPN just released. It’s a good one.

He’s one of the greatest coaches ever and they do a great job of shining a light on what makes him so great.

By and far, the biggest takeaway of the series is his obsession with doing things the right way. His process.

In the last episode, his mental coach mentions Nick probably isn’t very motivated, he’s just cut the way he is. Earlier, Nick mentions he’s a perfectionist.

Together, it’s obvious the guy is just wired different - he does things the right way and that quest to do so is enough to motivate him.

In sports, it’s so obvious what the “right way” is.

Winning is good, losing isn’t. Playing well means you’re doing something right, while making two errors means something should probably change.

It’s clear what needs to happen to get the result you want.

In life though, it’s not as obvious.

Sure, there’s promotions, fulfilling relationships, exciting opportunities, etc., etc., but the path of doing things the “right way” to achieve the outcome you want feels much more complex than in sports.

If you know me, you know I really appreciate greatness.

Seeing Tom Brady, watching the Golden State Warriors dynasty, the Florida Gators in the 2000s. I find it fascinating and enjoyable watching how winners win.

There seems to be a common thread amongst a lot of them, and it resembles this process Nick Saban’s obsessed over.

Needless to say, I get really excited after watching these documentaries on the greats. I feel there’s things I could mimic that might help me in my own life.

These are all thoughts I had after finishing the documentary.

The issue? Like I said, I’m not in sports, I’m just in life.

I don’t have one goal in mind, I’ve got a life in mind.

These promotions, fulfilling relationships, and opportunities hardly ever have an upcoming distinct date for when they’ll happen and never are the result of one singular effort I made.

And I want all of those things, and then some. Each is a “championship” I’m after within the same season.

After finishing this Saban Documentary, I had all this energy and motivation but when I went to act on it I had no idea how.

This process all these athletes, coaches, and teams emphasize is a lifestyle.

It’s not a switch that you turn on/off depending on whether you have a free weekend to work on your side hustle or not. Or for your gym routine and health goals but not for everything else.

It’s all-encompassing.

I felt empty after finishing the documentary because I don’t know what my “process” should look like.

The process clearly works, but works towards what, for me?

What does it look like in my life?

“Win the next 6 seconds”

-Coach Nick Saban

To play life the same way as sports would mean to live a different lifestyle for each goal you have.

Hardly anyone has just one goal they’re after, and even fewer can live two lifestyles at the same time.

Now, I’m not saying abandon goals. I’m just saying we ought to not play our life like we’re trying to win a championship unless we understand our process.

How do I apply “the process” to my life while chasing more than one goal?

Well, it starts by acknowledging that a process can’t point at a goal if there’s ten outstanding goals. Instead, our process has to run deeper.

What’s there throughout any goal we’re chasing?

Our values.

I think there’s nothing wrong in any of those sayings, but they’re all incomplete.

They don’t point us in a direction. They just tell us how to carve the path.

There’s still a disconnect because they don’t connect our goals and our lifestyles together.

The connection is applying these sayings to your effort in aligning your actions with your values.

Big sentence there. I’ll give an example.

For me, this looks like practicing kindness, patience, presence, and health. Day in and day out.

How can I best practice kindness, patience, presence, and being healthy every single second of every day, regardless of the outcome?

Now, nobody can stick to that. But six seconds?

I can be patient for the length of a conversation.

Or present for one dinner.

Or kind in one email I didn’t want to write.

When I think of it this way, the “process” that Nick Saban’s stressing becomes much more applicable to my life.

His lack of reliance on motivation becomes understandable - he’s just practicing his values.

His emphasis of being “perfect” for 6 seconds (the average time a single play in football lasts) makes sense for my life too.

I mean, even other sayings like, “focus on what you can control and the rest will take care of itself” start to feel more personalized and real.

Control the degree to which you practice living out your values.

That’s the process we’re to obsess over.

Whatever your values are is up to you.

But maybe acting in alignment with them is what we’re supposed to be stacking each day of.

Sticking to a process clearly works.

I think this is how we use it to win our own championships.

Nick Saban focused on winning the next 6 seconds.

My 6 seconds is when I first draft an email response at work.

What’s yours?

I hope you leave this five minutes a little lighter than when you started.

-Cal

P.S.

Did anyone make a good mistake these last two weeks? Mine was going too fast at work.

Reply and let me know! Make me feel better about my error :)

Also - this is the third issue I’ve landed on values. I’m starting to see a pattern here…