“A Thousand Goals”

I once had a conversation with a young man whose father was a notable athlete. To be fair, he was one of the most notable of all time. In a candid moment, he told me about one of his father’s favorite dad jokes. Of course, as a Hall of Famer his dad joke is of another caliber. As he told it to me, his father’s favorite punch line between friends and family was “a thousand goals.”

I didn’t understand.  

I asked him to give me an example. He said, “Well, like for example, an old family friend came to the house the other day and my dad has this ridiculous picture in the foyer with the Queen of England. The guy saw it for the first time and goes, “Geezus, Wayne! How’d you get a photo with the Queen?!”

His father replied with perfect dryness in his humor that bordered on confusing surprise, “A thousand goals…”

Sure, this is a cute story of the greatest hockey player of all time having fun with his friends, but he’s also not wrong. What’s behind the joke is the recognition of a certain undeniable level of competency. 

I like the mental experiment this evokes. Does your industry have its version of the thousand-goal mark? Are you practicing a hobby that has a level like this? If you can build a healthy relationship with models of lofty success, it might just be the perfect guiding light to your next long, arduous journey. 

 

Logan Gelbrich 

@functionalcoach

 

NOTES:

Daily Coaching Video

Submit Your Score to the Digital Whiteboard

4/15/20 WOD

Handstand Series: 

For 10 minutes,

Wall Facing Handstand Stability Hold

 

*alternate separating each foot off the wall.

 

(Hold :45, Rest :90)

 

Then, AMRAP 20

Walking Lunges