A Lesson from Fitbit
Several weeks ago I woke in the morning and did the customary thing of putting on my Fitbit to track steps for the day. As I stared at the Fitbit, I looked at the “0” representing the number of steps I had for the current day and began reflecting…not necessarily something to do before my first cup of coffee. The day before was a great day and I had over 15,000 steps…but here I was looking at a big fat goose-egg. A heavy sigh came over me as I pondered my convictions for this particular day.
Yesterday’s Victory Means…Well, It Means Nothing Really
Harsh perhaps, but let me add some context before you disagree with me. Yesterday’s victories mean a lot if they are part of a consistent pattern of movement forward…I’ll call that “momentum”. When a person can string a number of victories together you begin to see a pattern…a flow, moving in a certain direction. In order for yesterday’s victories to have any meaning, there must be a commitment made “today” to continue the direction and progress made “yesterday”.
So in the moment I had that deep sigh, as I stared at the “0” on my Fitbit, I waffled in my conviction to get up…and get moving. My back hurt…my hip hurt…my feet hurt…you get the picture. The excuses rushed at me so fast they all couldn’t get through the bedroom door at once. So many messages coming against any convictions I held to get up and make the commitment to “win” on this particular morning. It’s in those moments, a person has to remember what they’re after.
It Works Both Ways Though…
There’s an upside to this mentality as well. I could have totally blown “yesterday”…ate poorly, binged on Netflix, and done nothing productive with my day. Whatever my goals are, I could have been going the “wrong-way on a one-way” as my grandfather would say. I could have ended my day face-down in a mud puddle but you know what…
Zero means “ZERO!“
Whatever took place yesterday is in the past and today is a new day…an opportunity to take control of the direction we want the course of our life to take. “Today” is the day we possess power to do something about…not yesterday and not tomorrow. We can take satisfaction from yesterday’s victories and we can learn from yesterday’s defeats, but we should never dwell there.
Closing
I’m going to pull the plug on this post right here. There are so many thoughts going through my mind about “CHANGE”, and in the days to come, those thoughts may manifest into writings…but for now, I simply wanted to share a very simple message I got from my Fitbit. What took place yesterday is in the rearview mirror…what takes place today is seen by looking forward through the windshield.
How will your choices define this day today?