Pictured here is the 300 yard shuttle conditioning test.

We make a lot of sports analogies around the office at UpField because sports have been such an important part of our backgrounds. Sports at all levels, little league up to the professional ranks, helped shape our team into the people we are today. We believe Life’s Lessons are learned on the field of play, as often, if not more than they are learned in church, at school, the farm, or anywhere else we learn for that matter.

When playing in the NFL, our team had to pass a conditioning test before reporting to training camp. The test was challenging, but if you followed the off-season program and put the work in, the test was attainable and relatively predictable since you spent most of your time preparing for it. The learning from the conditioning test for both the coaches and the players was not to see who could run a five-minute mile or fifteen 40-yard dashes for time, the test was to see who got tired, who slowed down, who would quit, and who would encourage the others as the test became increasingly more difficult.

A conditioning test has as much to do with displaying mental toughness as it is physical exertion, and much like entrepreneurial businesses, one must be mentally strong to survive. To make this team, you must work harder than the giants, smarter than the competition, and be relentlessly focused on your goals. Too much deviation from the goal or the process, and you could find yourself out of shape, looking for a job, or worst of all – quitting.