There is no question that these are challenging times.
I’ve been extremely fortunate to be employed throughout this episode. Some of my friends haven’t, and that saddens me. It’s important to remain busy no matter what the situation. Idle time can give you too much time to think.
But please understand, there are people who care about you and are there for you. We must remain attentive to those around us and to identify those who may be struggling and need help. Many people are reluctant to ask. So, it’s up to us to take the first step.
We also should have an outlet to break up the day and unplug for a time. My outlet is running. I’m far from the fastest runner or able to run the furthest. That’s not important. What is important is that I engage in the activity.
By this time of the year, I’ve usually trained for a couple of races. But this has been a strange year. With the Wuhan Virus cancelling almost every public event the past two months, there hasn’t been anything to train for. I know there will be more races in the future, so I must begin to get myself in shape, eat better, and start preparing.
One of the toughest things for me is eating well. If eating Nacho Cheese Doritos was a competitive thing, I could hold my own. Watching what I put inside my body is a first step. If I put in garbage, I won’t perform at the level I’m capable of.
A poor diet also will cause my training efforts to suffer. Putting in the miles is tough duty. Why work hard without achieving maximum benefit?
Training requires physical conditioning. My core must be in good shape, or else my back, hips, knees, legs, ankles, and feet will be stressed which causes poor performance. Say perhaps I’ve had a strong start to a race. I’m feeling strong and on pace, but then I tweak something. Darn it! All the work building up to that race, and I missed something. Obviously, some aspect of my training was lacking.
I’m a person who learns by doing. Repetition is mandatory. That means putting in the miles and varying my training runs. Some runs focus on tempo, while others are about speed. I might concentrate on form, do hill work, or run longer miles. Maybe I need some recovery time, which calls for a slower pace to still log the work. Each puzzle piece fits together for an effective training program.
Today is race day. I’ve had a good training cycle and eaten high value foods. My body is strong and well-rested. I’m mentally prepared. The starting gun sounds. My pace is good. Mile 1. Mile 2. Mile 5. Everything is going according to plan.
How will the story end? Some races go according to plan. Others don’t. I might tweak my knee or have a sharp pain in my hip. Perhaps my physical and mental condition is on point, but it’s 10 degrees warmer than expected or it’s raining. Something beyond my control has affected my performance.
How do I respond? Do I quit? Do I fight through the challenges? Do I shut things down and fight another day? Do I set a new personal record despite this? What have I learned from this process? What will I do differently next time to be the best runner I can be?
Today, the race is on to save the foundational principles of this nation, and return self-governance to We the People. How are you training? What is your plan?
Ask yourself, “How am I training to be an engaged citizen and effective Convention of States volunteer? Am I engaging in pointless banter on social media? Or am I a consumer of the high-value information in our founding documents, historical records, and the works of constitutional scholars? Am I preparing properly for when I speak to volunteers, a legislator, a neighbor, or a media person? What is my conditioning program? Am I doing my homework to ensure I’m well-versed in the Article V process?"
Having a solid understanding of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and The Federalist Papers is a great way to strengthen your weak spots. The Convention of States website also offers abundant resources.
Do you participate in weekly training calls to learn from fellow volunteers? Are you attending the state team’s conference calls and speaking with the state’s leadership team to be an effective team member? Do you understand how to use our internal communications tools like CitizenBuilder, COS University, and the COS Action app?
Are you getting in the repetitions by speaking with friends, neighbors, and people At the store? Do you look for opportunities to hold meetings, meet-and-greets, town halls, and presentations? Do you have a relationship with your legislators and other government officials to participate in the political process?
As a state leader, I’ve checked all the boxes, and I’m ready to help our team achieve grassroots and legislative goals. No matter how well I’ve prepared, things may not progress in the preferred way. We could have issues securing a sponsor, being assigned to a favorable committee, getting floor time, dealing with a stubborn legislator, or rebutting opposition groups.
No matter how well-prepared we are, the weather may not cooperate. It might rain. It could be 10 degrees too warm. These are all things we all must accept. We cannot always control the outcome.
But we can control how we prepare and react to adversity. It’s not necessary to be the best at everything or even the best at anything. We just need to be the best COS volunteers we can be.
In liberty,
Brett
