I Don't Wanna

"Accepting An Oscar" by Gregg O'Connell is licensed under CC BY 2.0

In my last piece, “You Do Have It In You,” I wrote about how I started doing daily push-ups, since early last month and about that little voice dubbed “the governor” by David Goggins in his recently published memoir, Can’t Hurt Me. I found myself facing that little voice in my quest to break my current daily record of 335.

I’m a little over a month into this daily habit and far removed from my first day of 7 push-ups. In the beginning, I broke daily records almost everyday. However, I noticed that my progress has slowed down slightly, which was bound to happen. There have been a few days, where I struggled to break 100 much less breaking 200, due to having a long day or a day full of family commitments. I’ve learned that I could max out a good set at 25 reps. Then, I’m good to go in another 20-30 minutes. It seems that the only way to have a large volume is to dedicate significant time to be able to crank them out. However, if I have a day where I’m running errands or at a family party, I can’t exactly drop down in the middle of a store or in someone’s backyard. When I looked at my push-up log, I grew frustrated and, on some days, wondered what the point was in going further for that day.

On one of those days, I was venting to my wife and she reminded me of how, even with those “few” push-ups, I still did more than someone on the couch. I realized that she was right. Looking back, I even did push-ups, during my recent East Coast trip. So, I literally haven’t missed a day since 8/4. Considering that I’ve heard that I’ve heard that it can take anywhere from 21-66 days to establish a habit and I’m 41 days into my habit, I think that it’s safe to say that this is something I will continue. This consistency alone is a tremendous victory.

Here are some of my takeaways:

• Ignore “the governor” because it’s an idiot. A good practice is worth pursuing and there is no use in holding back effort.

• If there’s something that I want to master, I need to dedicate time and be ready to go.

• Any push-ups are better than 0.

• Every day with push-ups is another day towards establishing my habit.

EACH DAY DEDICATE TO PURSUING YOUR HABIT IS ONE DAY CLOSER TO MAKING IT PERMANENT.

You Do Have It In You

For a little over a month, I do push-ups daily: every single day since 8/4/2019. I started with 7 on my first day, 4 on the second and recently achieved a personal record of 335 over multiple sets throughout the day. I have a Google Sheets spreadsheet to track everything from my reps per set to that day’s percentage achieved of my most recent personal record. This keeps me accountable and helps me to accurately review my progress. I’m not looking at sheer numbers. I want to maintain the strictest possible form to minimize injuries, in order to increase my functional strength in a relatively low-tech, effective way. I picked the push-up specifically because of all of the muscle groups targeted with this seemingly simple movement.

"push-up" by Teecycle Tim is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

I started doing this because I didn’t think that I had it in me. I remember gym class from K-12 and I was far from great. I wanted to prove to myself that it is never too late to start something that I previously thought as impossible. Tracking everything helps me to maintain consistency each and every day. Even if I only did 85 and 124 reps this past weekend, respectively, due to family commitments, those totals are still better than 0. At times when you don’t want to do something is precisely when you should.

For me, I feel that trying to achieve relative mastery over push-ups requires consistency, tenacity and a certain mental toughness. I need to be consistent in doing my “work,” even when I was on vacation. I feel antsy, when I don’t do my push-ups. I need to be tenacious in that I need to move past the pain of the last few reps of a set or that little mental voice in your head that imposes artificial limits, which turn out to be false, and artificially deflate your manifested potential. In David Goggins’ book, Can’t Hurt Me, he refers to this voice that holds you back as “the governor.” I want to move past the lies that this little voice tells me.

Also, I feel that this quest of doing as many push-ups as possible, while maintaining good form, and utilizing different versions to target different body parts helps me to carry certain practices over into other areas in my life. They help me to push past what I thought that I couldn’t do, do more of what I don’t feel like doing but should, and, more than anything, constantly proving myself wrong. In truth, I am the very first person that I’m trying to prove wrong. Doing all of this makes me want to be the best person that I can be and provides me some of the tools to do so.

I would invite you to start doing your own literal or figurative push-ups. Find something challenging that you can start conquering and mastering. Develop your internal craft. Then, take some of those experiences and skills and transfer them over to other areas of your life, so that you can become more mentally durable and tenacious. My hope for you, as it is for me, is that you can see that you do have it in you to accomplish what you set forth for yourself.

YOU DO HAVE IT IN YOU.