Burn the Ship

21 was the number at Tequila Sunrise for no other reason than a typical Friday.  YHC had been chewing on some things and brought blocks to throw and ropes to jump.  Here’s what I remember:

The Thang:

Disclaimer to start, and a short mosey, avoiding the speedbumps (but probably 20 minutes late, right Breaker Breaker?), and back to the blacktop

• 10 x Hillbillies (IC)
• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)
• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 10 x SSH (IC)

1 lap around the track, picking up speed around the second turn, then back to the blacktop

We counted off, but YHC got thrown off by the 2 ruckers, so we scrapped the plan for groups and just let the guys get in groups of 3, which is probably how it should’ve gone all along.  YHC just overthought that one.

The concept of the day is simple.  Groups of 3.  1 group member leaves to go do something as the timer, the others stay and do AMRAP of what’s called.  3 stations for each round, and everyone rotates through all 3 stations.  Don’t worry, wasn’t complicated.  Just easier to do than explain.

Round 1:

• Partner 1 – Jump Rope (AMRAP)
• Partner 2 – Alternate 10 x Flutter Kicks & 10 x Freddie Mercuries (AMRAP)
• Timer – 4 Corners w/Blockees on the blacktop
  • Corner 1 – 1 x Blockee
  • Corner 2 – 2 x Blockees
  • Corner 3 – 3 x Blockees
  • Corner 4 – 4 x Blockees
  • Carry the block from corner to corner

So Partners 1 & 2 do as many reps as possible while Partner 3 finishes the 4 corners.  When Partner 3 gets back, he jumps in on one of the exercises while another partner grabs the block and becomes the timer doing Blockee 4 Corners.  The other partner just switches exercises.

In between rounds, we cranked out a little core work with:

• 10 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 10 x Penguins (IC)

We didn’t run much today by design.  Whereas most bootcamps, we spend time running from place to place just to do exercises in a different location, today we talked.  YHC has been digging in a little lately to try to start to understand the root of change, and wanted to share.  First round went something like this:

Acceleration is just the F3 term for “getting better” and the idea is that we’re never just staying the same, we’re accelerating or decelerating.  The seed of acceleration, the keys to growth, are intrinsic in nature.  Nobody else can make you want to grow.  That’s something you have to want for yourself.  So what are they?  We explored this morning with a ship at sea as the backdrop.

Find a Cause or a Reason – Why do we want to be better?  Chip on our shoulder from childhood?   To be better than our own father?  For health?  We often talk in F3 about the fact that we show up for the person beside us.  We are the company we keep, but part of that is carrying our own weight in the group.  It’s our Connections, to our goals and to each other, that help us to focus.

Take the Helm – We have to realize that we steer the ship.  Yes, life happens and throws a wrench in the plans, but we train for chaos.  When things happen, we don’t just watch.  We take the responsibility to do the best we have with the hand we’re dealt.  Nothing exemplifies this more than the concept of being Freed to Lead.  We get to Choose the direction of our growth, which ideally aligns with our Daffodil, and allows us to serve others in our High Impact Zone.

YHC didn’t talk forever.  Think of it as an extended 10-count.  Back to work.

Round 2:

• Partner 1 – Thrusters (AMRAP)
• Partner 2 – Plank
• Timer – Jungle Boy Sprints
  • Run to the end of the blacktop
  • 5 x Jungle Boy Squats (OYO)
  • Run back
  • 5 x Jungle Boy Squats (OYO)
  • Run to the end of the blacktop again
  • 5 x Jungle Boy Squats (OYO)
  • Run back

Solid work.  Then:

• 15 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 15 x Penguins (IC)

Chart a Course – How do we know what to do?  The Path to Mastery is important, and in a group like F3, there are a number of examples of High Impact Men who can show the way.  This path should be realistic, because if the path seems impossible and we don’t believe we can do it, we’ve already lost.  A Whetstone relationship can be helpful here.  YHC was reminded of the legendary Dirt’s example.  Dirt was well known in F3 Gastonia for showing up and running EC before bootcamps and through his example, leading others to do the same.  But Dirt started by just running a mile before bootcamp.  A mile became 2.  Two miles became longer, and then with company, until there was a whole group regularly running EC.  Small and simple changes, and following in the footsteps of others can get us to where we want to go.

Be Determined to Make it to the Port – Put in the work everyday.  Don’t stop grinding.  It’ll get boring and we will get sick of it, but we can’t quit.  Our thoughts will waver.  We don’t get to control those.  But we do get to control our actions.  Keep at it.

The last round was everyone’s favorite.

Round 3:

• Partner 1 – Jump Rope (AMRAP)
• Partner 2 – Burpees (AMRAP)
• Timer
  • Lunge Walk w/Block to the end of the blacktop
  • 5 x World War 3 Situps (OYO)
  • Lunge Walk w/Block back

Anchorman was smart and grabbed the 2 half blocks for equal weight distribution on the lunge walk.  YHC skipped jumping rope for a second round of burpees with Alma Mater.  It was worth it.  Good push.  Last round of core:

• 20 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 20 x Penguins (IC)

So we know the keys, and following them can help us accelerate, but how do we help others?  If motivation is intrinsic, what role do we play?  If it’s just up to them anyways, are we wasting our time?  You can’t make someone else care.  This is the quote that got me:

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men and women to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – some French guy

I know I can get caught up in the what and the how in trying to make a difference, especially with my kids at home, but it’s more about helping them strike that chord and want to be better.  So what can we do?

• Be an example – let our lives showcase what we stand for and a path to get there
• Connect – learn about them, connect with them, bring them into the group, and help to understand what motivates them
• Give them autonomy – we don’t need to decide for them, just help in figuring out the options and let them decide, if they just follow along blindly, they’re less likely to be invested
• Don’t give up on them – be a brick in their guardrail and let them know you’ve got their back, even and especially when they don’t believe in themselves

Y’all know it’s hard.  As parents, husbands, friends, brothers, sons, leaders, workers, and community members, we’ve been called to have an impact.  Let’s keep our hearts and our energy in the right places.

Timing worked out great, as we had time for about 1 exercise in Mary, and Alma Mater got the call.

• 10 x Merkins (IC)

and he nailed the cadence count too.

And that was it.  The work was tough.  The running was minimal.  No complaints were filed for excessive talking.  I had a blast.

Moleskin:

I opened it up for PAX to add insight, and Anchorman stayed with the ship theme and said something I hadn’t heard before.  When you make it to port, to make sure you don’t end up back where you started, Burn the Ship.

And that’s where I got stuck, and have been trying to make sense of it ever since.  One of my favorite sayings goes something like “when you’re in the ditch, you’re just 2 feet from the road, and when you’re on the road, you’re just 2 feet from the ditch.”  Old habits and temptations aren’t as far away as sometimes they seem, and it can be surprising to find how little it can take to bring them back.  It’s why the red pill has to be taken daily.  I don’t know that it’s as easy as a single monumental decision to never go back.

And at the same time, I’d like to think I’m never going back, because the Sadclown isn’t who I believe I am anymore.  There wasn’t a single day or decision that changed my identity, but the compounding effect of grinding.  The individual decisions to do a little more or stay for coffee or run EC showed me through my actions who I wanted to be.  And when things do go off track, and I’m headed towards the ditch or the valley, it’s those same little things that can keep me from completely losing it.  Sometimes I feel like we think that the size of the solution has to match the size of the perceived problem, but the answer is usually as simple as being aware and just making the next right decision.

It’s like instead of burning the ship, we have to painstakingly disassemble it one nail and one plank at a time, and every time we take our eyes off the task, we turn around and a piece that we’d disassembled has been rebuilt.  It’s maddening, tedious, and at times our energy drifts, but the work itself isn’t difficult once we know what we’re doing.  And after a while, it’s not about if we are capable of doing the work, but if we can KEEP doing it.  Boredom and complacency always show up somewhere on the journey.  Can we stay focused?  Can we push our rocks anyways?  Each one of us gets to make that choice, not just one time, but every day.  And I’d be surprised if any among us win them all.

I do know one thing though, and that’s that I’ll fail a whole lot more if I go it alone.  My worst days are the ones where I fall into the trap of withdrawing or “doing my own thing”.  Connections, the 2nd F, make all the difference, and I’m thankful for the strength of the pack.

The little things matter.  Keep doing them. They make up our foundation, and our kids and coworkers notice a lot more than we think they do.  And when you’re ready to throw in the towel, just remember there’s another HIM with a funny nickname who wakes up way too early and won’t throw in the towel, and that means you can’t throw it in either.

Y’all are awesome.  Thanks for another opportunity to lead.

Yabba Dabba Doo