19 AUGUST 2024

Was/Now

I am so incredibly proud of this moment. At last week’s weigh in, I cracked the 100 pounds lost mark for the year 2024. On January 1, I weighed 320 pounds. This morning I checked in at 217. I haven’t been this small since I was a 19-year-old missionary. I want to finally in this moment share my story of what my why is on what I am doing. 

On Sunday I wrote a post saying I would share what my health improvement journey and the why soon. My why is my child. He is the most important part of my life and the one thing that I will do anything for. In December I picked Harrison up from school and he was crying crocodile tears. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he had learned about obesity in school (I later learned he read a book on Elvis Pressley in his after school program) and he was worried I was going to die. This absolutely broke my dad heart. I told him in that moment I had to get ready to do it but that in 2024 I was going to lose 100 pounds. My weight was not going to be his stress. 

I set some goals like run 1,000 miles, complete 75 hard to start the year, stay under 2,000 calories a day, cut out caloric sugar, participate more fully in F3 bootcamps, 500 workouts for the year and some others to get going. I set goals in three areas and if it does not fit into these areas it does not matter to me. 

1. My relationship to God. 
2. My relationship with my son. 
3. My health - meaning what goes into my body and what exercise I do.  

This morning I accomplished my goal that I first set. This year I have: participated in 448 workouts Ran/Walked 1,293miles, abandoned my 10,000 steps a day goal because it is just naturally happening, and followed a strict caloric count forcing me to eat real food. As I think about the things that I can now do that I could not do on January first, they include but are not limited to. 

1. Run a mile.  
2. Put my socks on without sitting down.
3. Fold my arms.
4. Outrun my 10-year-old.
5. Cross my legs.
6. Do a burpee properly.
7. Reach every part of my body in the shower.
8. Fit in the stools when I visit clients at the jail.
9. Get in and out of my car without pain.
10. Touch the floor.
11. Run a 30 minute 5K.
12. And so many other things… 

As I move forward, I am not stopping. I am not where I want to be still and the next number will be getting to my goal weight of 180 pounds before I reevaluate what I want to do. I am so grateful for a child and my relationship with him that allows him to have the confidence and ability to tell me his stress and let me do what I can to minimize it when possible. He is my WHY and he is the reason I have been able to do this. 

I am so grateful for my brothers in F3. They have been there for 7+ years of me just cruising along not being all that I could or needed to be. I have been a sad clown, even while being in F3, for too long and will not be anymore. They have never left be behind and refused to leave me where I was. I have far too many of them that I am so super grateful for to name any names but I want to name a few that have been there this year. Thank you to Slow Pitch, Gold Plate and Zalinsky for doing the 75 hard with me to kick off the year. Thank you to my team members Zalinsky, Triad, and Sousa for pushing me to do the May Challenge. Special shout out to my shield lock and that they check in on me all the time and celebrate my accomplishments and accomplish so much themselves. (I see what you’re doing Sousa) I could not have done any of this without all my brothers. Thank you. 

I am grateful for my family who have pushed me to keep going and celebrated the ups with me this year as I have done all this. I am not special. I am special because God doesn’t make junk, but anyone can do this. I am grateful for the love I feel from my family. If I can do this so can you. If you want to get healthy you may have to sacrifice something. For me it was food and specifically sugar addictions that kept me down. I can tell you I do not miss my candy drawer at work and like that it has been replaced with raisins and pistachios. Come join me at F3 and get better. Find a shield lock and get better. Love yourself to be your best for your family who need you. 

You can do this if I can. 

-Atticus (F3 Rock Hill, SC)

You're Capable of More

Dark Helmet, our Nant'an and friend, was recently a guest on "The Hard Way Podcast" with Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan. Tune in and be inspired!

F3 Coffee

By now you may have heard that F3 has an official coffee for your next parking lot coffeeteria. Learn more in the video below and get your joe today!

IronPAX is Coming...

This is year seven of the IronPax Challenge - the self-proclaimed greatest athletic competition in the Nation. Test your limits and compare your scores to PAX around the globe. Week 0 starts September 2nd with more details to follow. Be sure to register below for what promises to make you question your sanity, but make you stronger.

Join the F3 Nation Board of Directors

As we continue to expand our mission of invigorating male community leadership through fitness, fellowship, and faith, we believe that the best candidates to guide us forward are those who have experienced the impact of F3 firsthand.

The Board of Directors is excited and confident the men of F3 Nation will heed the call. The growth over the past few years has been exponential, and the need for men to step up and lead has never been greater.

F3Nation impacts thousands of men across the country. Our board members play a crucial role in shaping the future of the organization, providing strategic direction, governance, and support to ensure we achieve our goals and uphold our values.

Directors will serve three-year terms, with two terms being the maximum. The board meets four times a year, with two of those meetings to be held via video conference. Two meetings are held live and in person, which will require travel by the directors to the meeting location. The F3 Nation Board is a single board that governs both F3 Nation and F3 Foundation business, every meeting will have a separate session for each component.

If there is additional information that is helpful for you to have prior to applying, please contact Wait Time (Omaha) directly on Slack.

Applications will be taken until August 31st, although interviews will start prior to applications being closed.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning:

Collaborate with fellow board members and F3Nation leadership to develop and implement long-term strategies.

Governance:

Ensure F3Nation adheres to its mission, values, and legal obligations.

Fundraising and Resource Development:

Assist in identifying and securing resources necessary for the organization’s growth and sustainability.

Advocacy and Outreach:

Act as an ambassador for F3Nation, promoting its mission and programs to various stakeholders.

Financial Oversight: Oversee the organization’s financial health, ensuring responsible and transparent management of resources.

Ideal Candidates Will Possess:

- A passion for F3Nation’s mission and values.

- Proven leadership experience in either nonprofit or corporate settings.

- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

- Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.

- Experience in fundraising, financial oversight, or advocacy is a plus.

- Active participation in F3Nation workouts and community activities.

Application Process:

Interested F3 participants are invited to submit an application detailing their interest and qualifications. The application can be on this page.

The deadline is August 31, 2024. Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview process conducted by the current board members.

GrowRuck Season Drives On

Ever done something so challenging, it changes the way you look at life? Ever tackled obstacles so daunting, you didn't think they were possible? Ever pushed yourself past your perceived limits with the help of the men around you? This is what GrowRuck is all about. Check the schedule below and sign up today. It promises to unlock something dormant in you that you never knew existed. 

Podcast Rundown

Announcing the new lineup to your F3 family of podcasts. Joining the family of the COT, Hunt for Wellness and Stuff Worth Trying podcasts will be the High Impact Man podcast. 

Defib and Dial Up hope to carry on the content quality of Hello Kitty, Repeato, Italian Job, Tommy Boy and Bones as we seek to bring the PAX of the Nation content that will help everyone advance the mission of F3 - To plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. 

As we continue to serve our growing community of future HIM, we’re expanding our content in order to reach and inspire as many men as possible. So tune in weekly and see what we have in store for you. 

F3 Nation's content line-up is available anywhere you access your podcasts. 

Subscribe to F3 Nation podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, or YouTube.

F3 Gear Wants to Hear from You

We all love new gear. We all love a deal. And we all love giving our opinion. Get all three by completing the linked survey below. Five minutes will save you 10% on your next purchase. 

Q Source

Persuasion (Q-3.6)

The Initiation Of First Movement

• Compulsive chicanery cannot sustain Momentum

• Mañana is a crackpipe

• Incremental Movements build agreement

Persuasion is the third of the four F3 Leadership Skills. It is the Effective Leader’s ability to initiate Movement toward an Advantage that he has first Visualized and then Articulated to his Group. If he has done so Competently, the Members have a clear understanding of the Movement required to achieve the superior condition the Leader sees and they don’t like it, because they fear that it will cause them Pain and Chaos. Yet, through Persuasion, the Effective Leader convinces them to abandon their Status Quo, even though they want to stay right where they are.

Movement must be voluntary, not something the Leader initiates through compulsion or chicanery. If he does that, he is not a Leader but rather a charlatan or a tyrant–or a bit of both. Nudging a man away from his Status Quo requires patience, Skillful Argument and properly calibrated Incentives that combine to convince a man that Movement rather than stasis is in his best interest.

While all men Visualize and a few men Articulate, only a very few men Persuade because the application of reason and Argument is a lost art that requires patience and high degree of Skill that can only be obtained from training, Practice and discipline. As a result, most Groups don’t bother with it, resorting instead to compulsive chicanery to initiate Movement. While this may work in the short run (and is certainly easier and faster than Persuasion), it is the means and method of the tyrannical charlatan and will not sustain Momentum to and through a fully accomplished Vision.

PAX Pics

Talk about seeing your name in lights...

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