Measuring Progress

Yesterday, as I prepared for a morning bicycle ride, I noticed that the battery in my cycling computer had apparently gone dead. Without a spare battery, I headed out on a 22 mile route that I take quite often. Typically, I shoot for about 18 mph when I want to get some cardio exercise and, knowing my speed, I can predict the total time of the ride. The question is, why are those figures so important? What actually happened? I pedaled until I entered an anaerobic zone. I continued to pedal but instead of constantly checking the cycling computer, I began to focus on what was around me. There were birds chirping, cows grazing, and people tending to their lawns. Without knowing how long I had been riding, there was no pressure to arrive home at a prescribed time. I decided to take a side trip down a road I had never traveled. If I hadn't, I would have missed a raccoon crossing my path, a friendly wave from a farmer, and a curious netted area on another farm (no it wasn't a camouflaged marijuana field).

Einstein said, "Not all things that are measurable are worth measuring and not all things worth measuring are measurable." In the case of my bike ride, that was certainly true. We have the tendency to measure everything and judge ourself by it. Whether it is the size of our 401k, our house, our salary, or our children's salary, there is more value in experiencing life and being in the moment. Today, I learned that measuring myself on every bike ride was counterproductive. As Emerson alluded, I took the road less traveled and that made all the difference.