New Year's Confession: I have a nearly compulsive desire to set goals, make charts, track metrics, graph progress, etc. As I was hiking with a friend yesterday I had an epiphany. What if this year instead of tracking, measuring and checking boxes, I just be. Yes, just go through life enjoying the moment, not plotting anything on a graph, not measuring, just going with the flow. I was so giddy at the prospect that the first thing I decided to do was set a goal of how many consecutive days I could go without measuring anything. Naturally, I also made a chart to track my progress. Phew...glad that's over.
Immediately, there were a lot of "likes" and comments. Clearly the sentiment resonated. Sometimes my sense of humor is so subtle that the joke ends up getting missed and some folks seemed to think my post was a pronouncement that I would no longer be measuring or monitoring the metrics that make up my life. This is not the case. In the same morning that I wrote that post, I took several measurements.
1. Assessing the Damage. I decided that I was going to fully embrace all that the holiday season has to offer which involved a fair amount of dietary off-roading. The rest of the year, I eat primarily "paleo" which means very little sugar, no dairy, no grains, no alcohol. This holiday I made a decision that I would take measurements (weight and body measurements) pre-holiday, eat whatever I wanted during the holidays, remeasure after the holidays and then give myself the same period of time to get back to the pre-holiday measurements.
Here's the tale of the tape on the weight:
Yep, the upward bend of that curve is undeniable. I gained approximately 4 pounds over the past month. The tape measure told me that most of those lbs ended up on my waist and hips, but then my jeans were already giving me that feedback.
Here's the deal: There was a time in my life when that would have freaked me out or sent me into a funk, but what I now know is that it's just feedback on the choices I made over the past 30 days. My weight is not who I am. That number on the scale doesn't define me. I made decisions and took actions (including drinking half a gallon of eggnog over the course of 10 days--and I loved it!!) that got me to this number. A different set of choices will produce a different result. So, now that I'm armed with this information, I can take action in a different direction. I'll measure again in 30 days and see if my plan worked. No. Big. Deal.
2. Setting a Benchmark. I love being fit. No, it doesn't make me a superior being, but being fit makes life better for me. It gives me more energy, improves my cognitive functioning and just makes me happier. One of the ways I stay fit is by rowing on a Concept2 rower. Today I rowed a benchmark 2000 meter row and posted it to the Concept2 world rankings. I set a new personal best time that put me in the top 30% of all women in my age group worldwide who have posted a 2K time trial. I finished almost 40 seconds faster than the average time. Does this make me a better person? No, but it does mean that my training plan is producing the results I want.
I spent the majority of my life being stupid competitive. Stupid competitive is when winning is more important than anything including people. Stupid competitive is when you're killing yourself for some imaginary prize. Stupid competitive is when your self-worth is determined by a ranking or a place on the podium. Stupid competitive turns everyone into your adversary. Been there. Done that. The t-shirt is so not worth it. Today when I looked at the world rankings, I took an extra moment to send a note to the woman who finished just ahead of me. I don't know her. She lives in Indiana. I told her that I had just finished a 2K time trial and had finished right behind her. I congratulated her on a strong showing and wished her a Happy New Year.
So, my Facebook post was meant as a joke and to poke fun at the fact that I find it impossible not to measure, monitor, chart and track data points. The difference today is that I'm finding metrics that have meaning. I see them as data that helps me make choices and not definitive proof of who I am.
I'm curious--what do you measure and track in your own life?
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