Yesterday was day 100 of the pushup challenge that I started 101 days ago. I cranked out my total of 100 in sets of 35-25-25-15…that makes 100, right?
Although the challenge is officially over, I will continue doing at least 100 pushups each day until I do not.
For many, once a goal is reached you move on to the next one.
For me, my goal will still be to do 100 pushups daily. I just do not like that the expiration date for the challenge was suddenly here faster than I thought it should be—each day you live, time flies faster.
The pushup challenge is like my voting record. I will continue not voting. I will use Gerald Celente’s self-characterization as “political atheist” as one of my reasons. Another is because I have made it this far without doing so—it is a kind of longevity streak that I admire if for no other reason than our two-party system is irretrievably broken; to quote Mark Twain, “If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it.”
I am a long-haul duration, great distances covered kind of guy.
To me, winning a sprint is not nearly as satisfying as completing a marathon.
Life is a marathon, too, like many a wise person has already said before.
Although we settle on “good enough” when it comes to a lot of things, we should not.
Take software for instance.
One of the things I have always marveled at is how many devices the Windows operating system works on. We seem to take this modern miracle of computing for granted until, let us say, the wireless connection that has been working fine the last several months, suddenly goes out on our laptop.
Windows has improved over the years to the point where with XP SP 3 and Windows 7 SP1, everything just seems a lot more problem free user experience-wise, than it was years ago.
The software development cycles that must be undertaken for new computer applications is never long enough for programmers. All of the potential scenarios for software on various hardware devices are impossible to fully test and account for. That is a big reason why consumers are beta testers more often than not on first runs of new software released. We purchase a new version of software for use, find it does not work properly, complain in online forums, call tech support, call customer service and ultimately resolution is somehow achieved. The next person hopefully benefits from the aggravation endured by those who have gone before them.
We cannot wait for new products and the software that runs on them to be released soon enough.
Generally speaking, we are lacking in patience now more than ever, not only when it comes to our software and hardware devices, but just about everything else, too.
Why can we not wait for something without growing impatient, cranky and sometimes even rude?
Technology has contributed to our impatience and the loss of our manners.
In our haste for the “now” we have lost sight of what inspires us:

  • People that do not give up in the face of long odds inspire me.
  • People that have more money than they need and help those less fortunate with it, inspire me.
  • People who show courage by considering flexibility in schedules and deadlines in the face of constant pressure to keep them foolishly inflexible no matter what, inspire me.
  • People that give the benefit of the doubt for success to someone trying their best and seemingly failing at every turn, inspire me.
  • People who are self-motivated inspire me.
  • People wise enough to demonstrate patience and take their time when necessary, inspire me.
  • People that fight through their fear of change for the better and eventually embrace it, inspire me.
  • People who recycle goals inspire me.

What inspires you?