A few years ago I took a physical test, at a time when I was not in the best physical shape, and a test I had not bothered preparing for. The test had six parts and if you scored bad in one area you could use points from another to make up for it. The first was on a treadmill while my body was being monitored. I lasted about seven minutes before they had me start on the next exercise, which was range of motion.
I failed terribly across the board to the point of the staff wondering why I bothered showing up. The last task was upper body strength via push-ups. In order to pass I had to complete forty eight push-ups.
I most likely do not need to describe my thoughts to you as I looked at the ground below in the push-up position knowing I had to do forty eight. It simply just was not going to happen. My first thought was about how I had to wait another six weeks before I could test again. My second thought was embarrassment as three strangers looked at a forty year old guy that only lasted seven minutes on a treadmill. My third thought was the pain in my arm from holding the “Ready, set, go” position. I already felt pain and I had not done any push-ups yet….. Knowing it wasn’t going to happen, I did what I could just to get it over with.
As I started what would most likely be three or four push-ups, I remember being angry at myself for not being more prepared. I was focused on how I had let myself get into such poor physical shape. I had no excuse for it. I did one push up and looked up at three hovering vultures waiting for me to die so they could divide up my personal possessions. They looked at each other with a grin that lit a fire in my soul. It didn’t take a body-reading expert to see that the look on their face clearly said “He’ll never do it”.
As I was pushing the weight of my body against the earth’s gravity like NASA’s finest rocket, I kept thinking about how I’d feel if I walked away. Like most things in life, it comes down to emotion. After seven or eight push ups, I couldn’t help but think that if I were able to do three or four more I could at least leave with some dignity.
At around fifteen the numbing pain kicked in, which to me was more of a fuel. My muscles had failed but my heart kicked in to compensate. Like in the movie Rocky IV, when he fought the big Russian, the crowd started to cheer me on, encouraging me to keep going. The emotion burning in my soul combined with their encouragement pumped out 48 push-ups.
One, I was looked at as the sole winner, but I didn’t do it myself. Few people accomplish anything worthy alone. Others drove me through various emotions, and if I were alone in that room, I most likely would not have done forty eight push-ups.
Two, learn how to use your emotions in your favor. There’s no such thing as a bad emotion. Like a tool, it depends on how you use it. In this case, “anger” was the top emotion, one that is looked at as negative. I used it for good.
Three, your heart is stronger than your triceps. If you put your heart into your challenges, people will support you.
Think about this the next time you’re in a corner and feel defeated or hopeless. It often comes down to how bad you want something.
Submitted by longtime resident Jim Griffiths
