In2theRiver

Good afternoon from Westminster, MD!

“Sargent Pushup is trying to catch up to you”. This was a text message I recently received from one of my coworkers. Confused, I responded, “Sargent Pushup? Lol”. I had no idea who Sargent Pushup was and why he would be trying to catch up to me. Honestly, I thought it was a joke. “Yeah. Look him up.”, he responded. So I did. Sargent Pushup is not a joke.

Patrick Parker, also known as Sargent Pushup, is an United States Army Veteran who, in his words, believes his call to serve is a lifelong commitment. After discovering that over 13 million children go to bed every night without a meal and over 3,000 children attempt suicide daily because of bullying Patrick decided he needed to do something. Having experienced bullying himself as a child, he knew the toll it could take on a child. With a desire to make a difference, Patrick sold his Ford Mustang GT to start his campaign and set off to make a difference, and make a difference he has.

Through his children’s books on bullying and germs, and his partnerships with organization such as the Maryland Food Bank to raise funds to feed children, Sargent Pushup is changing lives across the United States. “Why is he called Sargent Pushup?”, you might ask. Because of the pushups. He does a lot of pushups. In fact, Sargent Pushup’s goal is to do 1,000,000 pushups as he seeks to feed 1,000,000 children and get his encouraging books in the hands of as many children as he can. As of the day I met Sargent Pushup, he had done over 600,000 pushups, raised funds to feed over 600,000 children, and received sponsorships to give away thousands of books while putting more than 300,000 miles on his Sargent Pushup van. This is how I met Sargent Pushup.

Sitting at my desk the next day, I heard a knock on my office door. Looking out, I saw a very in shape man in camoflage pants, a t-shirt, and a camoflage hat. “This must be Sargent Pushup”, I thought. Welcoming him into my office, Sargent Pushup greeted me and told me, “Kevin sent me”. Kevin, a friend and fellow business owner, had sponsored 100 books to go to local children and had sent Sargent Pushup to ask me to do the same. Sargent Pushup went on to explain his program and the calling he felt on his life. As someone who believes in the power of real hope and the ability each of us have to make a difference, his message really hit home. Never one to back down from a challenge, I told Sargent Pushup I would match Kevin’s 100 books and tack on another for good measure! Now it was pushup time!

Gathering a few of our team members to be a part of the fun, Ross, the coworker who had sent me the original text, and I proceeded to do a 2 pushups with Sargent Pushup after which he did 52 more. While I would have been exhausted, he appeared to be just getting warmed up. Sargent Pushup also had our team gather to say, “NaturaLawn says, “no more bullying!'” This would have been the end of the story had I not randomly run into both Ross and Sargent Pushup at the local bank. After saying he, Sargent Pushup asked if we would be willing to do a few more pushups. We proceeded to do 10 pushups in the bank lobby, and were even joined my another bank patron who volunteered to join in the fun.

Why tell the story of Sargent Pushup? Besides the fact that it is just a good story, Sargent Pushup is another example of someone who has taken what they bring to the table to make a difference in the life of people who need it. Seeing the opportunity to bring hope to others, Patrick Parker decided to jump in and many lives are better because of it. I have no doubt that Sargent Pushup will reach and exceed his goal. For more on Sargent Pushup, go to his website http://www.sgtpushup.com.

Now it is your turn. What do you bring to the table? How can you make a difference in the life of someone else? You have far more to offer than you probably believe. Living a life of significance does not have to be complicated. It just requires to to take a step. Just ask Sargent Pushup. Would you like a resource to help you get started. If you haven’t already, click here to download 5 Foundational Steps to Make a True Difference in Someone’s Life. It is a free resource I created to help you get started. When you download it, you will also receive updates on my upcoming book, Hope Realized.

Hope will the day.

James Belt