It was probably close to 100 degrees in San Diego that day. I was about halfway through my final phase of training to become a Marine. I was hungry, I was tired, I was sore. Almost as if he could sense it, one of my drill Instructors called me over, led me to a pit full of mud, and ordered me to push. I must have done 30 or 40 push-ups before I got to the point of feeling absolutely broken; I had zero energy left and I wished I was anywhere in the world but there in that moment.
So, I stopped. I told my drill Instructor that I couldn’t do another push-up. I thought I was going to die. In one of the most memorable interactions of my life he fired back that I could, but I was choosing not to. Well, he was right. It hurt but I got about ten more push-ups before he finally let me get back to our normal training event.
Looking back on this moment I realize that I learned something about myself. I had been assuming my own limitations.
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