8 block

We started with the Pledge then I gave a quick summary of the plan for the day. I had posted a few messages earlier in the week about the 8 Block thing that CSPAN has talked about on several podcasts this time of year over the last few years. Just so everyone was aware, in my opinion (and probable a few others) CSPAN was one of the key PAX that got GasHouse up and running. If he was not here physically, he was partly responsible for a lot of the guys that were here the first few months when GasHouse started. To say he is a HIM is really not enough. He has positively influenced a lot of men and continues to impact many men within F3 whether they realize it or not. He gets credit for the 8 Block. Basically this is a structured assessment of your potential and your plans for the next year that focuses on a lot of the things F3 teaches and (in my opinion) is best done with several guys that know you pretty well (Shieldlock). You can find several versions of CSPAN’s presentation (or podcast) of this if you Google “F3 CSPAN 8 Block.” It will take you about 30 minutes to watch/listen to this. I would suggest having a pencil and paper in front of you while you listen so you can write notes then think about it for a few days and meet with a few guys to fill it out.

Our workout today was designed to teach us the framework of the 8 Block with some discussion along the way to ‘splain what each block was focused on. The general idea is take a piece paper, divide it into 4 boxes (a horizontal line and a vertical line) and each box addresses something. We moseyed to the football field at Grier and used the field as our paper. We started in the top left block: Concentrica-partner up, P1 ran the squared circle of this block on the field, P2 lunged the same route. When P1 caught up to P2 they swapped duties and this continued until we all did 1 big circle. Once all arrived back at start we got into plank and discussed what Concentrica is-if you don’t know what Concentrica is then 2 things: 1) you were not at Storm this past week when we discussed this, or 2) you have not been to Q source/read Freed to Lead. You can look this up and read it-it is time well spent so plan on reading it a few times then discuss with some of your F3 brothers sometime.  The idea with the 8 Block is to IDENTIFY THE AREAS OF YOUR CONCENTRICA THAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON AND LIST THEM.

Next is the bottom left quadrant which is 2nd F: the idea with this quadrant is you should identify and LIST 3 guys that you need to spend extra time with. Remember the 3 guys you list don’t necessarily need to be F3 people-they are probably unique to you, but are people that maybe you have some work to do to be that friend that they need. LIST THEM BY NAME IN THIS SECTION. Our exercise was to partner carry across the field then swap and partner carries you back.

Next section is top right-3rd F. This one is easy to plan but toughest to follow thru with for me. In this section you need to list what you are planning to do SPECIFICALLY for your 3rd F this year. Set some goals. Write them down and share them with someone so they can hold you accountable. What are you studying-again, be specific-“I’m going to read the Bible more” does not count-what part(s) of the Bible are you going to focus on? Volunteer at church. Read Q Source. Whatever-it’s not so important what you plan to do, but MAKE A PLAN, WRITE IT OUT, THEN DO IT. Our exercise was P1 Heels to Heaven AMRAP while P2 did 10 Flying Squirrels then swap. We each did 2 sets.

The final section on the front is the bottom right: 1st F. To me this is the easiest to fill out and relatively tough to follow thru. List your 1st F Goals-CSAUPs you plan to do (Mortimer, GrowRuck,…), Goals for the year (1000 miles for the year). It seems best to me to take this in blocks within the year like maybe quarterly or even monthly. The idea is to think about what you can do, set a goal, write it down, then keep track of it. If it is worth doing, it is worth tracking and by tracking you will almost certainly get better. Some guys event pull their family or Shieldlock into these goals. Also, set a goal for how you will help EH guys or bring back a Kotter-how many can you get in the year? Maybe shoot for 1 per quarter or 1 per month if you are really up to it? Exercise was a version of Bear with Me. If you don’t know what this is, look it up. It’s a good workout with a ruck. We did not use rucks this am (thankfully).

I forgot to say this today, but if you pick a word for the year, write that word in the middle of the page to help you remember it.

Flip the page over and again, divide into 4 quadrants. Top Left back quadrant is the Jester-what is holding you back from being the best you can be. THIS IS TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK IF YOU HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED THIS. Read about this in Q Source and Freed to Lead then discuss the general topic one morning in the gloom with the guys. After you do that, go live in a monastery for 6 months and swear a vow of silence while you consider what your Jester is 10 hours each day, then maybe you will have an idea. This is another good topic to discuss with your Whetstone partner or Shieldlock, however it does require a lot of thought up front and thick skin if you want to do it right. Keep in mind you may have more that 1 Jester. Our exercise was combination of 10 Jump Squats and 10 Flying Squirrels I think total of 2 sets.

Bottom left quadrant on the back is DATE NIGHT: This applies to your M and your 2.0. The theme of this quadrant is that YOU SHOULD NEVER STOP DATING YOUR M AND YOU SHOULD DEMONSTRATE HOW YOUR 2.0 SHOULD TREAT OR BE TREATED BY ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE MATES. Date your M and date your 2.0, keeping in mind where each lives within the Concentrica. I don’t remember what exercise (if any?) we did at this point.

The top right quadrant on the back is listed at Podcast-what are you doing to make yourself better? What are you listening to and what are you reading to make yourself better? Thankfully we had a celebrity who has his own podcast called Gaston’s Great. This about this and write it down. What are you doing to mentally accelerate? Do you get home from work and sit in front of the TV and veg out until your M drags you to bed? Have a little purpose and plan that keeps you mentally in the game. Our exercise was for Stroganoff to lead us in his favorite exercise for whatever # reps he wanted (Flutter kicks).

The final quadrant is the lower right section and this area is labelled ALR (ask, listen, remember). This is the ADVICE area. Basically in this area, you should find someone to learn from. Find someone you feel knows more about something than you do and learn from them. In other words, find a mentor.

Thankfully a lot of guys chimed in on this for the discussion along the way and this was truly a group discussion that I hope was good for everyone. My best advice is to listen to one of CSPAN’s podcasts on this, take notes, think about this and fill it out by yourself then discuss with your shield lock or any group of guys that know you well-be prepared to provide and accept CANDOR. Don’t let someone’s comments hurt your feelings-they are trying to help you so listen and learn from what they are saying-maybe they are right or maybe they are wrong, but if they care enough to do this with you, you are getting their opinion and it is likely coming from a place of love.

COT was filled with a lot of prayer requests about either family members or PAX that need some prayers-it’s a tough time of year in a lot of ways. Keep posting so you can stay on track and help your brothers stay on track. Thanks for coming out this am and for everyone’s input.

Whoopee