This morning and after 7 days of failing in a row, Barney finally hit a NEW record.
It’s on the back of him and the rest of his class getting shit from their Sensei at Karate.
… Something to do with them not being able to do leg raises for more than 20 seconds in a row.
Now Barney, god bless him, LOVES nothing more than a challenge and took this beat down as a personal call to arms.
So much so that everyday this week, and before school I’ve stood over him with a stopwatch as he’s tried to better his best.
The numbers were sobering and looked like this:
- Saturday – 12 seconds
- Sunday – 15 seconds
- Monday – 20 seconds
- Tuesday – 19 seconds
- Wednesday – 20 seconds
- Thursday – 18 seconds
… And Friday?
Well, another failure.
The long and short of it being, after one week of going balls to the wall and doing multiple attempts each day, he’d flat-lined at 20 seconds and given up.
That was until 7.37am this morning and before rugby.
Seems my deliberate attempt at brainwashing him in the car with Tony Robbins, may have started to finally pay-off, as he muttered the words:
“Dad – let’s give it one more go…”
Meaning this morning we did something different…
I lied next to him and we did the challenge side by side.
… In fact as the clock started to turn we laid with our legs 3 inches off the floor, staring at the whites of the others eyes, trash talking and teasing the other into throwing in the towl.
All of a sudden 10 seconds was on the clock:
… Then it was 20.
… Then 30.
… Then 60.
… Then 110.
Then finally at 122 seconds Barney caved and his legs bit the dust.
Or in other words today, he bettered his best by a factor of SIX.
Something that I think you can safely put down to unadulterated male pride and a natural competitiveness that forces men like you and I to bunker down and dig-in whenever standing shoulder to shoulder with others.
It’s the reason why I will always look to be the weakest or stupidest person in any room…
Because in my mind there is no greater force than the male instinct for competition to FORCE capitalist conquest.
It focuses you to focus on one thing and one thing only…
Beating the other man.
Now that man, friend of foe, it makes no difference.
See, in my experience the result is always the same – the dial moves.
Making the point of the email today, as this:
Your brain is your own worst enemy.
It will try and fuck you into submission on a daily basis.
In fact, psychologists will tell you it’s designed from the ground up to keep you safe and standing still…
… UNLESS you rig the game, to force competition and conquest.
Make More. Provide More. Be More.
Charlie Hutton
