Compared to What?
I got up early to ride my Peloton before work. It was 6:30 a.m., and I chose a ride with a great ’80s playlist to wake me up and kickstart my morning.
If you have a Peloton bike, you know that every ride begins with a warm-up. I scanned the Leaderboard to see who was riding with me. There was no one listed on the leaderboard I recognized. But I noticed there was a male in his fifties riding in front of me on the screen. I start pedaling harder and faster to try to catch him. I didn’t know him, but he was the same age as me, and I am extremely competitive. I looked at the number he had next to his name that tracks his output, and I saw that my number was two points lower than his. Given my drive to win, I increased my resistance. Over the next minute, I passed him. I instantly felt victorious. Mind you, I was only five minutes into the thirty-minute ride, but I was pretty sure I was crushing it.
As I passed him, he sent me a high-five. This is a thing unique to Peloton: by pressing a little high-five button next to someone’s name, you can send them a pop-up icon that gives them a little high-five, essentially telling them they’re doing a great job. It seems silly, but it really works. It feels like instant congratulations and a message of encouragement from a virtual stranger. If you have ridden a Peloton bike or treadmill before, you know exactly what I am describing. People high-five you, and you high-five them back, and this can sometimes go on for the entire workout. You generally don’t know any of the people you’re sending these congrats to. The most fascinating part—at least to me—is that it doesn’t matter. It’s part of the culture, and the encouragement is constant. It’s one of the things that keeps riders coming back.
Halfway through the ride, I was sweating, singing out loud to the ’80s music playing full blast from my speaker in the basement, and trying to follow what the instructor was telling us to do. I noticed that I was getting closer to my PR—that’s my personal record, which the computer tracks in every ride. As soon as I saw that I could potentially beat my record, I started pedaling faster. Meanwhile, another guy sends me a high-five as he cruises past me and skyrockets to the front of the pack. He was moving so quickly up the leaderboard that no one could catch him. I found myself yelling out loud and cheering for him (alone in my basement, mind you), and I sent him another high-five. The guy was a machine and his power was impressive.
Eventually, my ride came to an end. My heart rate was high, and my water bottle was empty. I ended up finishing toward the middle of the pack, with many people surpassing me in the final minute as I slowed down. I had beaten my own personal record. It was only 7:00 a.m., and I had a new PR to kick off my day. I was elated! Exhausted physically but mentally elated.
Then something occurred to me.
If I had solely compared myself to the other riders, my ride would have been disappointing. Middle of the pack. Fiftieth percentile. Mediocre. Meh.
Instead, I compared that ride to the other thirty-minute rides I had done before. I was proud to see that I had done better that day than ever before. Sure, I looked to the other riders for encouragement to pedal harder. I high-fived their efforts, and they high-fived mine. At times I was ahead of some of the people while simultaneously lagging behind others. Regardless, I was doing my own personal best.
Isn’t this a great way to go through life?
What if, instead of constantly comparing ourselves to others to see how we measure up, we compare ourselves to ourselves?
How often do you find yourself comparing your efforts to other people and ending up disappointed? Ever think that sometimes it might be more productive to compare yourself to your own “personal record” in whatever it is you are tackling? Ask yourself, “How am I doing compared to me at my best?” rather than, “How am I doing compared to a random person who seems to be outpacing me?”
I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with a little competition. After all, it’s competition and the desire to improve that has been the catalyst for so many people to advance, grow, get better, and experience incredible breakthroughs in life.
As you’re competing—whether it’s on the bike, in school, or at your job—don’t forget to send friendly high-fives along the way. Some days, you’ll be at the front of the pack. Other days, you’ll be lagging as others outpace you. Let all of these experiences help push you forward. Keep focusing on where you are going, and take a moment to appreciate where you happen to be right now.
