Well, yet another successful year of doing 8,000 push-ups for the month of July. Every year, I gear myself up for it, because I cannot fail what I created. What I have learned from the previous years, one of the best ways to reach the finish line is to have others in your corner to support you along the way, and even better when they are doing it with you.
I continue to wonder why I chose to do this push-up challenge during the same month as my birthday and Independence Day, full of cookouts and fireworks. I still do not know a definitive answer to that, but I suppose it balances out all the grilled food and sugary lemonade from fests and fairs that I will consume. Moreover, it is in the summer, which is an easier season to motivate oneself for this kind of challenge.
Every year, it seems like there is a hurdle to prevent me from completing this challenge. Year one, my back was only a year out from having major surgery, so I felt a bit of tenderness. Year two, I got the flu in the middle of the month, which caused my pace to be way off. This year, my back continues to cause me problems, as I had to go through physical therapy throughout the month. Thankfully, my chest and arm strength was much better this year than any other year, so that portion was not very difficult.
I am very thankful for another year of the push-up challenge. Next year, I am looking to get others involved from a local standpoint, with hopes of broadcasting it to promote health, grit, teamwork, and determination. I finished with 8,200 for this year, which exceeded my goal. Moreover, this year is the first year that I felt eager to do more push-ups after the challenge. Every other year, I was crawling to the finish line. Now, I can place my stake in the ground with my head held high in victory.
The lesson I received the most from this year’s challenge is this. When you have people just as passionate in aiming for the same goal as you have, and you all are working together to get there, the goal becomes much more easier. Never think you are good enough to achieve your goals alone: it makes the road much more difficult. Additionally, never think a goal is insurmountable. Celebrate the phases to get there instead of being overwhelmed by how to get to the destination. Refocus your approach, and you will get there while learning from your journey.
8,000 push-ups, year three: COMPLETE.
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