Estella Gong wasn’t happy with herself; feeling ‘uncomfortable with her body’ and ‘scrawny,’ she decided to not be discouraged by her dilemma— instead she turned her self-perceived problem into a passion to become her best self— one push up at a time.
She embarked on a 100 day push up challenge and translated the incredible transformation in a time-lapsed video for ‘Give it 100’; an organization inspiring people to practice something and document it for 100 days.
The supreme sense of accomplishment at the end of the transformation is acutely apparent; a moment of pure joy— the moment where every second of pain served a purpose— a place where the next goal seems significantly more achievable than it was just a second before.
Many of us yearn to master a craft or fulfill a desire that lives deep within us; we want to learn yoga or play guitar. We want to learn to meditate; be a writer; donate our time and resources to others in a different part of the world.
These are dreams that we’d love to see come to fruition, but we rarely give ourselves the opportunity to even attempt to accomplish them. Many times, these ‘secondary’ feelings get pushed aside for what we believe are more important, immediate activities and concerns.
Think about it; do you have a personal push up? What is it? Examine your heart’s desire and key in on that one activity or skill that you’d love to try to master. Have you got yours? Great. Now get to it. Give yourself the opportunity to find the time and spend even just a few minutes each day to achieve a small victory.
Videoing your progress may not be for you and that’s fine! Keep your progress personal in a journal or jot it down each day in a notebook— creating accountability and seeing consistent progress will help you keep motivated. Share your journey with a family member or a friend to help you stay on track, too, support is key!
Everyone has their own path to success. However you choose to go about achieving this monumental milestone of creating your own slice of happiness; stick with it and enjoy each moment of the journey. Remember, each day is an opportunity for you to get better and better, to reach higher and higher. Discover the hidden gifts deep within you; it’s time to set them free!