Challenges are different every week, but not every year, so that we can see where we have improved, and more often, where we need to improve. One thing is certain: every training must be completed within 1 hour. This can be done, but it is by no means easy.
We will hold a banquet in August to honor those lucky and quick-footed few of us who can finish training in a limited time at a time. We designed and issued T-shirts for these distinguished guests-our green jacket master-who will proudly wear them all year round.
Among these challenges, what I like least is long-distance running. However, this exercise gave me time to think, even if it was just to forget the burning sensation in my lungs. One Saturday, I thought of this: don't give in to peer pressure. This attractive maxim that I have believed since I was a child is wrong, or at least incomplete. The lesson should be: If bad companions bring you undue pressure, find a better companion. There they are.
I thought of this when I saw Jed, a taller man than me, flying past me on a difficult uphill road. He's been deceiving himself from the beginning. People like me are nobody, because they can't run fast. If I follow Jed's example and study harder, I can run faster.
When I saw Bob's perfect repetition, I reconsidered the peer pressure. Bob is an accountant, but that's not why we call him an auditor. His practice times have never been rounded off, nor has he cut corners in form. John wooden, a basketball coach at UCLA, said that the real test of a person's character is what he does when no one is watching. Father's Time Challenge shows Bob's excellent character and my room for improvement.
Most importantly, when I saw Ryan partnering with a slow runner, I rethought this proverb. He encouraged his partner to finish the game in an hour. Doing so takes up Ryan's precious time and makes it possible for him to fail.
Don't give in to the pressure of bad company. Give in to the pressure of excellent companions every day.