Why Do I Push Myself So Hard & Push Those Around Me To Do The Same?
Monroe Mann
Published On: Dec 24, 2024
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Name: Monroe Mann Break Diving Level: Level 1 Number of Certified Dives: 15 From: United States In: United States
* My dad had Alzheimer’s Disease. Granted, it happened late in his life, but through my PhD studies in psych, I know that it can hit as early as 27 years old. So why do I push myself so hard? I could start losing my memory any day.
* I survived the war in Iraq. I came home from Iraq after serving there for a year with the US Army. Did everyone I know survive? No. So why do I push myself so hard? Because I could have died over there. I didn’t. I always remind myself of that.
* My friends Pete Sears and Tom Chiarello both died before age 15. Both of their deaths were very hard for me as a child. So whenever I feel I’m getting lazy, or discouraged, I’m reminded of Pete and Tom, and remember that their dreams were taken from them before they could pursue them. So why do I push myself so hard? Because I know Pete and Tom would want me to make the most of my life. As an old saying goes, “I do it for those who can’t.”
* So many people died on Normandy beach, defending my freedoms. So why do I push myself so hard? Because those men, just teenagers, gave up their lives and their dreams so that you and I could pursue ours.
* At least once a year, I hear a story of a perfectly healthy young man or woman, who runs 3 times a week, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t do drugs, and who eats healthily… who dies of a heart attack, or has a stroke, or contracts a disease. So why do I push myself so hard? Because that person could be me. I intend to do all I can now, while I’m healthy, because tomorrow, I may not be.
* Sadly, shootings in schools, malls, and offices are more and more common. I say this not as a pro gun or anti gun person, but as someone who recognizes that it’s a sad reality of our lives these days. Do I hope it gets better? Of course. But in the meantime: So why do I push myself so hard? Because today I may get shot, killed, or blown up. Just like when I was in Iraq, I knew that any day, I might get shot, killed, or blown up.
* None of us knows what’s going to happen today. So why do I push myself so hard? Because today I may get hit by the proverbial bus. Don’t laugh. It happens. Every single day. Mudslides. Hurricanes. Car crashes. And yes, even buses.
Am I being morbid and depressing by sharing all of the above? No. It’s called: recognizing truth. WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. WE ALL CAN BECOME SICK, AT ANY MOMENT!
Maybe because of my life experiences, I understand this fragility of life better than most. Maybe as a result, I understand truly the incredible possibility that I may be dead or unable to pursue a dream in the future. So what do I do? I DO IT NOW. I DO IT WITH PASSION. I DO IT WITH VIGOR. WITH ENTHUSIASM. WITH UNBRIDLED ENERGY. And I do it even when I have no energy, am exhausted with life, and depressed beyond measure.
Why?
Because I know that no matter how sad or depressed or discouraged or exhausted I feel today, THERE MAY NOT BE A TOMORROW.
So get off your ass, stop complaining, stop whining, stop bemoaning your situation, and STOP PUSHING THINGS OFF UNTIL TOMORROW. You may never see it.
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