Written as I impatiently anticipate this week’s Apple Event
Most people that know me know that eventually, I’m going to start sending my paycheck directly to Apple. I’ve been hooked since the iPod nano, and I’m completely unashamed about it. I pride myself in my purchasing strategies, based on hours of research and projections for future products. Nope, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’m addicted to Apple products.
My shopping habits aside, I actually learned a simple, yet powerful lesson from my Apple Watch 2 (which I waited to buy so that I could get the waterproof edition).
If you’ve seen the commercials, you might be familiar with the activity rings. These rings symbolize the following:
- Blue Stand Ring: the hours per day where you’ve been active for at least one minute
- Green Exercise Ring: the amount of time per day that you’ve been physically active — more than a brisk walk
- Pink Move Ring: the amount of calories you’ve burned through activity per day
Now, I’ve found these rings to be incredibly motivating. My normal fitness routine is now rewarded with an encouraging “That’s how it’s done, Patrika,” message when I complete all three rings in one day. I enjoy getting the tap on the wrist that lets me know I’ve hit my fitness goals. Aside from the daily rings, there are also Achievements, or digital badges that you collect for going above and beyond. Being the overachieving perfectionist that I am, I decided to try to collect all the badges. The most challenging? Hitting the move goal every day for a month.
I tried several times, to no avail. Then, when June came, I managed to finally accomplish my goal. I kept the momentum going, and I was able to complete July with a perfect record as well. However, on a long day of traveling in August, the worst happened: I broke my streak of over 60 days. I was sad and disappointed, so much so that I didn’t even come close to hitting the daily move goal for the next several days. I had been doing so well, yet that one day destroyed my long-running success.
Actually, it didn’t.
You see, I realized that even though I’d broken my streak of 60+ days and ruined my chance at getting the August Perfect Month badge, each day that I did reach my Move Goal was moving me one step closer to the larger achievements of 365, 500 and 1000 Move Goals reached (I’d already reached 100 by this point).
By getting caught up in my minor misstep, which cost me a short term goal, I had stopped working towards the long term, more fulfilling goal. And trust me, if I do that with a little exercise program on my Apple Watch, there’s a 10000% chance I do it in the rest of my life.
So, what did I learn?
It’s a simple, yet essential lesson: each step counts. I’m reminded of a quote I’ve always loved:
“The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance — and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” — Oprah Winfrey
All of this has taught me to choose to celebrate the little victories, not just in terms of my Apple Watch Achievement rings, but in everything. Whether it’s an just one great tweet, blog post, or long term campaign, they’re all accomplishments, and it’s worth enjoying my progress. There’s no need to be perfect all the time, as long as you’re continuing to move in the right direction.
For me, this means reminding myself that regardless of minor setbacks, as long as I’m moving towards my long term goals, each step, no matter how small, is an important achievement.
So far, I’ve already missed a day in September. This time, I refuse to be discouraged or deterred.
Photo credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silver-apple-watch-white-sports-band-near-rose-gold-iphone-6-on-white-wooden-table-213622/