I was thinking about football this week. The analogies never really end.
During the week of Christmas, chaotic schedules and insanely busy workloads leave everyone and everything feeling pulled.
My first coaching job, I was hired by my HS coach, and I then worked for him again for a few years at another location. So over the years, the “coaching,” he provided never really ended (to this day). One day he said, “When you’re getting your ass kicked, don’t be afraid to call Base, and when things are going really well, don't be afraid to stay in Base.”
A Base call for defense is a foundation. It’s a basic alignment that is sound and balanced vs nearly everything. Over the years, it’s taken on a mindset of sorts and has become “home,” because you can count on it. You know where to be, you know where to look, you know what to do. It’s “Base,” because we rep it and rep it and rep it until it can't go wrong. It’s basic fundamentals. It’s a foundation. It’s simple and effective, especially when there is chaos.
So I had a moment at work with what felt like 18 different things needed to be done, but as we know, they can't all happen at once, so I sat back and made a call.
Base.
Nothing fancy.
No blitz packages, no exotic looks, no “let’s outsmart them” bullshit.
Just eleven guys lined up, knowing exactly who they’re responsible for, eyes locked, ready to hit what moves. When things are rolling well?
We stay Base.
No confusion, no checks or audibles, no unnecessary adjustments.
Simple wins. When we’re getting our ass kicked?
We might tweak a gap here, shade a nose there, maybe bring an extra guy late.
But if Base isn’t rock solid, those tweaks are just lipstick on a pig that’s already running wild. I’ve watched teams with the thickest playbooks on earth get shredded because their Base was soft.
I’ve had teams with four calls (maybe 4 calls) totally dominate because every kid knew Base cold and trusted it like gravity. Same in life.
Same in work.
Same in marriage, parenting, business—whatever field you’re on. Build a strong Base. A handful of things you do every single day, no matter the score, no matter the noise.
Things so simple they feel stupid until the day you realize everything else stands on them. When life is going well, mine looks like this:
Move hard once a day.
Eat real food.
Take ownership of everything.
Help somebody.
That’s Base, and when those are handled, the “game” gets simple, real fast. When life’s rolling, I stay Base.
When life’s kicking my teeth in, I might have a “what do I call moment?” but the answer is nearly always, “Base,” and I have to remind myself of that often.
Everything else—fancy diets, new systems, big speeches—is just window dressing. If Base is weak, the blitz doesn’t matter. If the Base is weak, the sales pitch doesn't matter. If Base is weak, all the fancy meetings and money thrown at the software won't make any difference without it.
If Base is strong, you don’t need the blitz nearly as often. So keep it simple.
Have a foundation in simplicity. Pick your Base.
Drill it until it’s boring.
Trust it until it’s instinct. Because the “game,” doesn’t care how clever you are.
It only cares if you can line up, know your job, and hit what moves. Base.
Everything else is noise.