• When: 2022-12-14
  • QIC: Pothole
  • The PAX: F3LM PAX


Have You Checked Your Pulse Lately?

That seems like a trivial thing to do, right – checking your pulse? I mean, if you’re breathing and reading this, you obviously have a pulse. And with today’s technology, you surely are wearing a watch that will tell you how your heart is performing. You do this by checking how many beats per minute your heart is pumping. Some of us find pride in knowing how low our pulse is. “I have a resting heart rate of 50,” is something we enjoy telling others. I’m not a doctor, but a quick Google search says that a “normal” heart rate is between 60-100. Runners can be as low as 38!

Your pulse rate is the intensity at which your heart is pumping. They might be used interchangeably and I’m sure some PhD’s might have some “Actually….” information to share, but for the sake of generality, you have a heart rate and you have a pulse.

Armed with this information, and knowing you one, have a heart rate – a pulse, and two, you know what those rates are, what would you do if your normal resting heart rate of fifty was now a twenty? Or a ten? Would you ignore it? Would you think it’s only normal and move on? No! You’d most likely start reading every WebMD article you could, texting every medical professional you knew, all while driving yourself to a hospital. You’d ask questions like, “why is this happening?”, “how can we fix it?”, and “what do I need to do differently?” Troubleshoot and fix. That’s our nature as men.

Men, F3 Lake Murray has an extremely low pulse right now. The rate is low and the intensity at which the energy is flowing in our region is morbidly low. It’s that urgent time when we need to ask why is this happening, how can we fix it, and what do I need to do differently?

Our numbers are consistently dropping. Where we used to consider 55-60 posts a slow day, we are now in the 35-43 range. AO’s that once were strong, are now getting weaker (in numbers). The interest in convergences is dropping. The excitement for seasonal events such as The Cottonmouth has fallen away. Our pulse is waning.

Why Is This Happening?

I don’t know. I just know it is.

Have we piqued? Did COVID really disrupt our routines that much? Are we sick of each other? Or are we not feeding our region that nutrients it needs to have a better pulse? Maybe a combination.

I had hoped The Cottonmouth would be that one event that we shake the dust off and get us back out as a collective region. Sadly, I couldn’t get a lot of interest in planning; and when it came time to commit, I had less than 10 people say they were ready.

We tried considering and opening a new AO in Friarsgate. There is a lot of untapped potential there and it’s ripe for the taking. However, again, the interest to plan and participate was not there.

The P200 had low attendance. Convergences don’t have the same energy. Thirsty Thursdays have low participation. And Christmas parties seem segregated by AO.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. We still have some numbers. While 38-43 total posts are low, I suppose it could be worse. AO’s like Speed Trap, Strut, and Roost are a few of the highest posting. We’ve had a lot of new FNG’s, a new (controversial) basketball AO (yes, I’m calling it an AO), and GOAT is accommodating their PAX by offering two separate workout times.

But the pulse is still very low for what Lake Murray is capable of.

How Can We Fix It?

Again, I don’t know. I don’t have all of the answers. I’m open to suggestions. No matter what they are.

Even if that means a new Nan’Tan.

If a new Nan’Tan is something the region feels would boost new life, then let me be the first to say that you have my vote. I love F3. I was honored to be an AOQ and I was honored to be an ambassador for the region. And that’s really what being a Nan’Tan is – an ambassador. A sharer of information. You guys are the lifeblood. I don’t have to tell you where to post and at what time. All of you are self-sustaining. That’s been the most amazing thing to see as Nan’Tan – that you all find a way. You never needed anyone to tell you what to do. But if having a new Nan’Tan would pump some new life, then I’ll gladly hand over the keys to the region.

What else can we do? A new AO? There are a lot of FNG’s out there just waiting to be tapped on the shoulder. A region wide challenge? Something that seems to get Depot going is a challenge. Points, a t-shirt, bragging rights – they all seem to be something those guys strive for. Do we need that as a region? Some type of new competition with a trophy of some sort? A quarterly challenge with a trophy an AO can claim and dare anyone to take it from them?

I’m all ears. There must be something that gets you guys motivated to get back out there and get back to consistently high numbers.

What Do I Need to Do Differently?

That’s a question only you can answer. But first, start with your pulse. Your proverbial “why am I not interested in posting?” pulse. Find out what that is – and do the opposite.

Next, talk to your buddies. All of them. If they aren’t coming out and they were, find out why and invite them. If they were never coming out, maybe they need some new friends and a cool nickname. If you haven’t been coming out, ask someone else to motivate you.

Finally, think of some ways to pump some new energy into our region and send them to me or your AOQ. I do check the F3 Lake Murray GMail account. It hasn’t seen any new messages in a long time. Let’s change that.

If you can’t get out there because of an injury or your body just isn’t having it – I get it. I spent the better part of this year nursing a shoulder injury. But down is not always out. Find a way. A concurrent AO for those not able to go full beast mode is the answer. A walking group. Something. Anything.

Please, don’t let F3 Lake Murray die of a consistently waning pulse until there’s nothing left.

Check your pulse. If you’re good, find someone who isn’t.

Pothole out.

5 thoughts on “Have You Checked Your Pulse Lately?”

  1. Thanks PH for a great summary. I for one have been loosely associated (identified but not consistently being called it) with my nickname (yellow cake) for several years now for a variety of reasons. Most of those excuses are no longer valid and i get to make a choice for me…. And the loved ones in my life get to enjoy the benefits of a better me.
    I get to recommit. I get to be yellow cake again…. And more than just once a month. Maybe i need to turn Twitter notifications back on.

      1. There is a multi-factorial issue here. Simply put, though, answering this question requires pax to differentiate between an excuse and a reason. We presumably joined F3 because we saw something in it that was missing in our lives. But like many things in life…church, work, friends, we took what we needed until we didn’t need it anymore then left without ever actually doing anything with it. I’ve learned a lot about myself through F3 over the last 10 years, like what I am capable of, how to persevere, how to use failure to improve, how to rely on other men to lift me up when I’m at my lowest, the list goes on. I feel a responsibility to share those experiences with others, because we all struggle. The question, Mr. Pothole, is not whether we have a pulse. The question is whether we want to take the gift we’ve been given and improve our community, and our fellow man. If you have a F3 name you now have a choice to make, and the choice is either an excuse or a reason. The reason is because that’s what God has called us to do through this organization.

  2. Sad Clown thing for me. There’s only so far you can go with bricks and pushups. I have seen some incredible changes in people as a result of F3. But I’ve also seen stagnation – guys doing the same workouts for years with no discernible difference in their health or appearance. It’s a question of goals, and whether or not F3 is the vehicle to get you there. But that applies to any format – not just F3. Sadly, I don’t have a solution. Wish I did, because F3 is a great organization and I’d hate to see it peter out in this area for the guys that benefit from it.

  3. We discussed this at Strut this morning and here are some thoughts that came up. The numbers count our Boot Camps only, over the years other workouts have developed into a 7 day opportunity to workout such as running, kettle bell, cycling and walking so I’m guessing this has diminished numbers to an extent due to the fact that not everyone can post at all events. Focus on the AO’s that are constantly down in numbers and what is the reason for the decline in numbers and maybe interest. The Nantan has to be visible at all the AO’s in posting and as the Q. One person can’t run the region alone there has to be Men from each AO helping and leading. We need more frequent convergence’s, we have lost touch with the other AO’s and need to build it back up.

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