Q 1.2: King

King: The daily discipline of physically training the body.

Let that sink in and we’ll break it down in sections.

Daily – One should be making repeated efforts to train. This doesn’t have to mean running 10 miles every day. It does mean putting in some sort of physical effort to invest in your body. On a given day, your body could benefit from lower impact activity like stretching, walking and yoga.

Discipline – You cannot slack. You must establish guardrails or involve others who will hold you accountable because after all, you cannot hold yourself accountable; don’t lie to yourself. Identify your tendencies that keep you from physically training your body on a daily basis and put the measures in place to keep you from ditch-diving. Establishing that is an example of discipline.

Physically – As part of the Get Right, you must put the physical work in so that you can be better equipped to handle what life throws at you. Additionally, I have found that if I get a solid workout or run in, my mind is cleared of the fog and I am open to correction, new ideas and ways in which I do just about everything, better.

Training – You’ll never arrive. You are constantly putting in work to get just 1% better. Identify a goal and make incremental improvements. When you’ve reached that goal, make another goal. Improvement is not made in the completion. Improvement is a process of continual training. As you’ve heard countless times, life is lived in the process, in the journey.

Body – There is a lot of reading and study to be done in order to better understand what both Christian and secular writers mean when stating that our bodies are temples. Regardless of your view, you know the basics of that inference. You should treat your body well, and in this case, that means physically training on a regular basis to keep your temple sharp and ready.

This relationship we have with our bodies begins with Fitness, hence why that is the first F. It is not negotiable; I must be physically able to perform the physical necessities of life in order to be effective. If I am unable to carry my kid after she breaks her leg or I am unable to put a suitcase in the overhead bin of an airplane, how effective am I? I would be more of a liability instead of an asset. I never know when “the time” will come so I must train on a daily basis, utilizing a variety of methods, to be ready.

Why do I push for 1% better through different training methods? If all I do is run, I can’t carry my kid. If all I do is rucking or weightlifting, what will I do when my kid wants to run a 5K with me; ask her to walk? Integrate a variety of training methods to challenge your body and build stamina. Stamina fights fatigue. Fatigue happens when you’re not trained for that next 1%. Fatigue keeps you from stepping up when only you can step up. When no one else can, you can…you must. In the words of the late Travis Manion and now memorialized by the Travis Manion Foundation, “If Not Me, Then Who?” In the end, fatigue makes cowards of us all. Fight the fatigue. Fight for that next 1%.

It is important to understand too, that no matter how far or fast you run, no matter how much you can carry, the inevitable time will come when you can’t out-King your Queen. The Queen is the next section in Q-Source and that too, requires discipline and guardrails. For this however, I’ll remain focused on the need for the daily discipline of the King.

A few years ago, F3 PAX around the country spread the initiative of the F3-250. The spirit behind this was to encourage PAX to participate in 250 workouts in a calendar year. This could be a great measure of accountability for men. If you have another man tracking with you on your way to 250, you’re more likely to put your feet on the floor when the alarm rings in your ear. Another tactic is to let someone know the night before where you’re posting. Set your clothes out and get everything else ready. That’s discipline. Find yours. Locally, there are men among us who are engaged in daily check-ins with other men as part of their daily discipline.

It takes a want-to in order to make this a reality, no one will do the work for you. Our world is full of excuses that will entice you to take a more comfortable or faster path. I challenge you to not succumb to that excuse. Why? Inevitably, the “stuff” is going to hit the fan and YOU will have to respond in a way that requires physical effort. You will not have the time to look for the easiest route or the route with the least resistance. You will have to act because only you can. Check that, you won’t have to. You GET TO.

How will you ensure readiness? By engaging your KING and having the daily discipline to physically train your body, your temple. If you need help or accountability, I will gladly walk with you. Just know, you won’t walk forever because I’m going to push you to run or carry weight while we walk.

I love you too much to let you stay static.

Maximus