Yes I hate pushups. And to paraphrase Dickens, it is important to note that I hate pushups; this must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of this essay. I have made a decision that I am going to do 100 pushups a day for 100 days. For those of you who don’t know how to use MSProject to figure it out, 100 days is from April 28th (I started yesterday) to August 5th. Sifu talks about making goals often and always says you should put an expiration date on any goal. I think he got that from AA. It’s virtually impossible to make a commitment forever. It is daunting to face that. So instead you make a commitment for one year and work to meet that commitment.
So if I hate pushups so much, why am I doing this? What part of my life change is this addressing? Most people would think it works to a fitness goal. It’s not. Granted, my brother, who I respect fitness-wise, once said the only thing you need to do to get in shape is sit-ups and pushups. I doubt he still thinks that, but it’s probably not far from correct. Still, this isn’t about getting in shape; this is about directing my mind to do something and carrying through (be accountable). While I think this will help me get healthier, I think of it as it will help me be a better husband, father, and martial artist. A better husband and father, because having the will and time management skills to carry through with a 100 day commitment is essential to being a good husband and father. My friend Murphy does scouts with his kid. He makes time for this commitment. I can’t see me doing that at this point in my life. I’m too selfish for my own desires (like going to Kung Fu classes or having a beer after work). Have I mentioned that I hate doing pushups? If this was, “I’m going to eat chocolate every day for 100 days” I think I could handle it without any sacrifice on my part. As it is, this is going to be a challenge. I’m going away with my wife this weekend. Can I still do the 100 pushups while I’m away? Can I do it without disturbing my wife?
Development of will is something that I hope to teach my son. I think it’s very important. I also think it’s impossible to teach someone else about will if you don’t have a strong will. You can’t say, do as I say and not as I do. So, here I go doing something I really don’t like, for no reason that has meaning other than I said I would.
Will I succeed? I doubt it. I really do. My wife, son and I are going away this summer for a week. That will be a huge challenge. Just getting to the summer without missing a day is going to be difficult. What do I do when I screw up? I think I brought this up before, when you fall down, you get up. As soon as I get up, I have to tack that day to the back of the August 5th date. I expect that I will fall down a lot. Any injury could set me back days. So what will hold me to this?
Accountability is a key ingredient of this blog. I really doubt anyone is reading it regularly other than Murphy… Of course, I see Murphy in the gym about once or twice a week. I have a feeling he’s going to bring the “Double Century” up. I also have a feeling I’m going to have to write about my progress in the task, not to mention roadblocks that come up. So, what is the end result of this type of accountability? Not much actually. The real accountability is me getting up in the morning and seeing my son. I want him to think of his dad as a strong person. Someone who does what he says. Someone who is worthwhile and who’s word means something. So, while he’s still too young to know the difference, I’m practicing what I want to perform.
