Strava

Strava has changed my life. It has given me a chance to not let my circumstances determine who I am. I am not a competitive person, so the idea of running races, training against or with others, and competitive sports are not motivating factors for me. I don't like the idea of someone else yelling at me to be better, because believe me I already know I am probably not doing good enough.

However, Strava has created a scenario where I could be competitive with myself—not with my current self, with my previous self. I could literally work incrementally harder to simply be a little bit better than I was yesterday, and aim to be a little bit better tomorrow. This kind of constant forward movement gives me permission to strive for my best, to find the motivation with me, to build the positive self-motivated habit within myself that's maintainable and sustainable. It helps me become the best version of me.

Don't get me wrong, I have loved the people I've gotten to meet on Strava who share the same goal and desire to just be a little bit better than yesterday. It's a great place where I've found a passive online community of like-minded niche people.

I love situations where I get to become better, to strive to be the best version of me that is closest to what God sees me as. With the help of Strava, Fitbit, and LoseIt! I have lost over 50 lbs, and been more active than I've been since high school (where I was basically forced to be uber-active thanks to high school basketball).

It's amazing what the internet can do, and I know it's only the beginning the kind of connections that can be experienced now that we're living in the future.