Naked Man Moleskin

BOSTON BUTT

Let’s go back to 3 years ago.  Gyms were closed, many men in our community had recently been told they were not essential, and this area faced difficult and novel challenges that seemed unrelenting.

It was a difficult time for many, but the men who led this workout today were in a much better spot for the most part.  We all had been coming to F³ for about a year.  We all improved our fitness and found purpose in contributing towards the growth of this workout cult.  Just about all of us started as strangers, but after enough beatdowns, mumble-rucks, and 2nd F events, we became friends.  We also became obsessed with The Mission – particularly growth and expansion.

In less than a year, The Ridge was on Fire and was operating 6 days a week.  That Fire was felt throughout the region, and the leaders of F³ Naperville would travel weekly to further fuel the Fire and bear witness to the World’s First Onsite Coffeteria.  Like all AOs eventually do, The Ridge had developed its own personality and, to some degree, subculture.  We had leaders at all levels of the workouts and PAX who valued F³ so much that we wanted to give it away to both friends and strangers.

Ironically, our successful growth ended up pushing up on The Misson we were trying to serve – To plant grow and serve SMALL workout groups for men…. for the invigoration of male community leadership.  We needed additional workout opportunities for the PAX in Plainfield.  We had explored some new potential AOs while F³ Naperville was on hiatus and decided to ask LT to open up another Plainfield AO.  We met with the F³ Naperville Nantan, whose response to our request was initially shocking and insulting.  We were told we were thinking too small.  We didn’t need a new AO; we needed to start a whole new region.  “Growth by division,” we were told.

We struggled with that response at first.  Why would we stop working out with our friends in Oswego, Aurora, and Naperville?  The past year in F³ had been life-changing for us.

But after a group discussion, we realized we were only focused on the task and were forgetting the purpose of The Mission.  Yes, we would solve the original problem – more workout opportunities mean more manageable numbers in The Gloom.  However, the resulting Leadership Development would drive growth beyond what we could achieve as just The Ridge Guys.  A new region would result in further invigoration of Male community leadership.

3 years ago today, we launched The Colosseum with one hell of a beatdown.  The Pre-Blast was juicy enough to bring all pax from Plainfield, what seemed like all of Naperville, and several FNGs. Everyone at that workout busted their ass, pushed and competed with each other, and thought they were there to celebrate the launch of a new AO.  It wasn’t until Dilly gave a COT and reminded the PAX about the Fire at The Ridge and the explosive growth in Plainfield.  We told the PAX we were no longer interested in simply tending to The Fire.  That is when the PAX were informed they had just attended their first workout in F3 Crossroads (Trademarked), and together we were about to pour gasoline all over this motherfucker.

We spent the next year opening AOs, creating traditions, establishing recurring 2nd F events, and finding additional third F opportunities.  We learned to work as a team and took the responsibility of shepherding this new region very seriously.  We continuously grew The Fire, spread The Mission, and witnessed men use F³ to transform their lives.  We’re incredibly proud of our contribution to this region but we also made some serious mistakes.  When it was finally time to hand over the reins to a new LT, decisions we made had started to snuff out The Fire.  When we handed the embers over to LT 2.0, it was hard not to feel, at least partially, that we had failed the PAX and The Mission.

But what happened next affirmed that our LT Team had, in fact, succeeded.  We watched LT 2.0 clean up our mess and reignite The Fire to new heights.  In the past year, LT 3.0 expanded our region beyond what we originally thought possible, contributing to the Fire still burning today.  So pretty much all LT 4.0 has to do is not fuck it…

What is the point of this story?  We want to encourage every PAX, no matter where you are on your F3 journey, to find an opportunity to advance The Mission.  We are Peer Lead, and that principle does not evaporate at 6AM.  Be a leader, don’t think too small, don’t be afraid of learning from your mistakes, and never lose focus on the task and purpose of The F3 Plainfield Mission.