The Undeniable Resume

What if you built a trump card resume? It’d be accepted everywhere and never up for refuting. You see, just the idea of this  undeniable resume being possible puts a very nebulous, uncontrollable thing like success in the crosshairs with real tangible markers.

Think about it. How would you go about being “successful?” It’s Thursday, I’ve decided nothing other than I want to be “successful.” Whatever that is. What do I do next?

An idea that big seems too big to even know how to grasp. However, if I knew specific things that makes one successful and I started on a journey towards those specific characteristics instead, I’d be able to build a resume of tangible things on my path to success which would then define it.

Let me give you an example. For amateur baseball players, specifically catchers, you could imagine that there could be a strong desire to play NCAA baseball. Given that it’s such a lofty goal, it might seem overwhelming as to how to go about it. “You’ve got to get good” they might say. But, believe it or not a young catcher can write his ticket to NCAA baseball with a specific characteristic. The catcher’s version of the “undeniable resume” is his “pop time.”

The “pop time” is the time (in seconds to the nearest hundredth) from the moment the ball touches his glove until the time  the ball touches the glove of the fielder covering second base. This valuable number marks his effectiveness in throwing out potential base stealers. Two seconds flat is the threshold. Anything above is poor and anything below has a chance to play. Major League average is 1.95. A 1.85, however, will get you a job at the college or professional level nearly guaranteed.

With surefire benchmarks like this, performers can be task oriented in their approaches. “I am going to practice these ten things to acquire a 1.85 pop time.” This, of course, is much better and controllable than a result oriented process that sounds like, “I’ve got to play well so I get a scholarship.”

For those of you taking on this health and fitness journey, you can really capture something amazing with the same idea. Rather than view things from the lens of “I want to look like him/her” or “I want to get really fit,” one can chase things within his/her control instead, like a 5K time, a back squat one rep max, and a “Baseline” time. If you had a 20 minute 5K, a double body weight back squat, and a sub-four minute “Baseline,” for example, you’re guaranteed to look, feel, and perform the part of an incredibly fit and healthy person. This resume assumes so much (including weight, body composition, injury, skill, strength, etc) that is can encapsulate a big idea like being fit and healthy in just a couple key characteristics. These aren’t the only characteristics for a good resume, however.

What does your idea of an undeniable resume look like?

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach