The Mental Conditioning classes were able to exercise one thing that people usually don't get to practice. It's something that holds people back from experiencing life in incredible ways, going after what they want to accomplish, and being someone they truly want to be. People have a hard time demonstrating this because they don't practice it. And that thing is… courage. Students were able to learn that the definition of courage is facing your fears, wrestling with your weaknesses, and doing it afraid. They learned that it's not about fearlessness or being fearless, but rather about doing it afraid. The students learned this through paintball. It was exciting. It was thrilling. It was a step outside of their comfort zone. The common thread was, "It wasn't as scary as I thought." And yet they did it anyway, they did it afraid. That's courageous.
Here are some student's reflection on the experience:
I learned from this experience that fear comes from thinking about the future. It is important to live in the moment because when you live in the moment you do not have the fear of what comes next. All you have is the now. I learned that it is important to work as a team and make sure to always have other people's backs in order to succeed and help everyone.
- Senior Comet
I learned that in life I will always have things that I'm afraid of but instead of just running away I can use my fears to encourage me and build my motivation. I also learned that you won't always hit your target. Sometimes you'll miss and you just have to be ok with that because it's all part of the process to grow.
-Senior Comet
I have learned that communication is key, working as a team can get you places, not being afraid of taking risks, never letting your fear overcome what you do, and always going into places with an open mind.
- Sophomore Comet
I learned how to discipline myself and keep going even when it was uncomfortable. I have a tendency to assume that certain aspects of my leadership do not require a team or that I can do tasks on my own. I could have done it alone and tried to win on my own, but working as a team allowed me to complete tasks quicker and more strategically. Similarly, in my leadership positions, having a team allows me to complete tasks faster and receive suggestions from more than one person.
-Senior Comet