Let's Get Pushy

I like to push people. If I ever see one of the guys from my Student Community Group and they don't see me I'm going to push them.  Not such a hard push that it knocks them over, but hard enough that they know I'm there. For some reason they never get mad. They always smile and greet me with some type of dap. You know dap? Dap is when you do something more than a handshake. For the guys in my Student Group it's normally a three palmer (like a five to the side but done three times) or a palmer into a hug for 1.5 seconds. This is kind of like a hand shake but it ends with a quick 1.5 second hug with two pats on the back. Anything more than 1.5 seconds gets awkward. And the two pats on the back are crucial. I digress.

Even though I like to physically push people this post is not about that. This post is about pushing people out of complacency. I have an opinion and since it's my blog I'll share it...I think most people are complacent. There are a few people who are driven in all areas of life, but for the rest of us we find a comfortable place and start coasting. I've blogged about it before but marriage is a perfect example. When you first start dating you pull out all the stops. Flowers, you open the car door, and you try really hard not to fart. A few years into marriage and it's easy to hang up the romance jersey and then let it rip in front of the one you love.

They key to being pushed is to spend time with someone who does something better than you. If you are complacent find a new set of friends, read a new blog, follow someone on Twitter/Facebook. In this day and age of social media it is that much easier to be influenced by people who can push you. The point is to add someone new to your life that does something great and let em push you.

Some people that push me include...

• Melissa Horton - she's had cancer 3 times and survived. It's not just her fight that pushes me it's her attitude. She's the type of person who laughs and smiles in such a way that it's contagious. She pushes me to be a happier person.
• Steven Furtick, Francis Chan, Perry Noble, and Mark Batterson - through blog posts, books, and sermons these guys have pushed me from afar. They don't have a fat clue who I am but they inspire me to love Jesus.
• Josh Wilson - he's run a half marathon and lost a lot of weight through jogging. I hate jogging, but I'm often pushed to jog after talking with Josh.
• Jon Shepherd - Jon is my brother and also the funniest guy I know. Whenever I'm around him he pushes me to try to be funny.
• Jamey and Carlyn Menser - Monica and I have a budget, but we don't like keeping it. We hate debt and do a great job of attacking or staying out of it, but we haven't always done a great job of planning for the future. Jamey and Carlyn have become Dave Ramsey (financial ninja) disciples. When they talk about money it pushes me to want to do better.
• Eric and Stacy Froyen - this couple is so thoughtful. Most of the time when I think of something nice to do I forget to actually do anything about it. Not the Froyen's. Whether it's a kind word or an amazing gift they push me to want to be more thoughtful.
• Daniel Carman - he leaves a comment every day no matter what. Even though I love comments I often find myself in the non-comment leaving section. His faithfulness to post funny, meaningful comments pushes me to comment on other blogs.

Most of the people on this list don't have a fat clue that they push me. They aren't pushy people. They don't force their beliefs or views on others. They simply live life in a way that inspires me. I want to be that type of person. When people hang out with me I want them to feel pushed to love more, be more, and experience life to the full. Let's get pushy.