In December, we bought an exercise bike. Yesterday, when I finished my ride, I decided to check out a stat the instructors talk about a lot—the leaderboard. I wanted to know, where did I fall on this illustrious leaderboard? As I pulled up my dashboard, I got my answer: 3,628th place! That meant absolutely nothing to me. And I could have tweaked the stats to see where I fell in my age group or only with women, but why? 3,628 was EXACTLY what I needed to know.

What I realized, when I saw that number, was that a leaderboard is irrelevant, even if you’re #1. The leaderboard is showing me where I am against everyone else, but everyone else shouldn’t matter. It’s not about them—it’s about me. Did I or did I not get on the bike? When I make it about someone else, I missed the point. I could have been very disappointed with 3,628, but I’m not. On January 3rd, I got on the bike. Win! It was a whopping 20 minute ride. Win! I invested in 20 minutes of self-care. Win!

It’s finally 2021, and if you’re watching everyone else on the “leaderboard,” you’re making a huge mistake. This year is about YOU, not you in comparison to everyone else. If you see others sprinting into the new year, recognize that cannot be sustained; slow and steady wins the race. There is nothing magical about January 1. We have a full year to make our changes and live our best life. On your leaderboard there should only be you! Commit to you. Make a plan for you. Take action for you. And most importantly, take really good care of you. Making you a priority in 2021 will be your best decision.

With Gratitude,

Beth

P.S. Fun Fact: Everyone who takes the ride, shows up on the leaderboard. There’s a message for all of us in this fact.