Let me teach you how to do a one arm push up
I did a one arm pushup for the first time in my life! I really did! I mean I had no plans to even try, I wasn’t very optimistic I’d succeed but I did and it was like BOOM! ME! YESSS!! ME!!
There’s no video evidence but I have witnesses and when I replay it in my mind I think I hear angels (or background TV noise) singing joyously.
So now that I have cracked it, I present to you the formula that I guarantee will lead you to success…
Put your feet in a wide stance
Set both arms firmly on the ground, wider than shoulder width
Fall flat on your face
Have a chat with yourself (this is important)
Rise into your new found glory
So I can hear your self doubt, thinking it won’t work for you, deciding not to try but hear me out. Let me tell you about the chat I had with myself..
There are so many times in life where I feel like I have fallen flat on my face. It happened that time I did the splits at that party and my pants ripped open (I now love a good two step), It has happened at work (a lot), it has happened in my marriage, and it has happened as a dad. And the one thing that is consistent in all those moments is that I had a chat with myself. It often would include things like:
“I can’t believe you did that…”
“You should have known better”
“Now everyone is going to think that…”
“How on earth will that dream/hope/thing you really want ever come true now”
So with my face flat on the floor I had THE chat and in the back and forth between me and my brain (let’s call him Fred) I realized that:
I really couldn’t believe I was trying this after years of being ‘sure’ I never could
I should know better but I didn’t and wouldn’t without trying
I really had no idea what anyone was really thinking
And there was no world in which a one arm push up was accomplished by someone deciding to stay on the floor
And so I pushed, curious and cautious, lifting with surprise, wobbling in discomfort, and at a point well before the top Fred smiled and I knew we had it.
It reminded me that so often we talk ourselves into things and miss the opportunity to talk ourselves out. We accept our first opinions and forget that we get to have as many as we want. And we forget that to crawl you’ll fall, to walk you’ll fall, and to run you’ll fall harder still!
So in fact we only really learn to get anywhere because we learn to fall. So fall on your frontside, backside, and even your face but just remember that when you have that chat with yourself be sure to make it a good one - aligned with your values, supportive of your goals, and with the curiosity to try.
Martin - the one arm push up master!! ME!!