Two weekends ago, while scrolling through my Facebook feed (yeah, I know, that gives away my age, but I’ve seen similar posts on Instagram too! ;)), I came across a post like this: “So proud to have run my half-marathon this morning! Final time: 1:58.”
To be completely honest, I was really happy and proud for these people, these friends, because I ran one last year, and I know exactly what it takes to pull it off.
But a question crossed my mind while running my little 5 km last night!
Since when does time determine the value of the effort?
How is running 21 km in 1:58 “better” or more admirable than running them in 2:27 with steely determination, two blisters the size of plums, and an iron will? And I’m the one making this comparison myself! But yesterday, I stopped and asked myself: why? Why is this so important to me? What does a good time mean to me—in terms of my self-worth?
Currently training to become a professional coach, I’m struck by this (most likely unconscious) fixation on numerical results. Who are we trying to compare ourselves to? And above all, why this constant obsession with absolute performance?
I’ve always believed that performance is an individual matter in life. For example: I’ve improved, I’ve gotten better at XYZ, I’ve worked so hard on XYZ…
And don’t get me wrong here! I’m SO proud of the people who ran in the Beneva Marathon, who run ultramarathons, triathlons, and Spartan Races, who climb mountains—in short, I’m proud of my friends on my Facebook feed who’ve gone out with their families for any kind of event! But for me, their achievement has nothing to do with their place on the podium or their time per minute. It’s the effort, the perseverance, the discipline, the hard work, and the mental strength it takes to keep going despite an injury that’s causing us pain—or to pick up a sport we’d stopped doing—that moves me.
I think that beyond the numbers, we should also take pride in these qualities of determination that define us as human beings. Otherwise, the person who finishes last in the marathon might feel like giving up next time, even though they may simply be rediscovering a way to move at their own pace. And it may have taken them even more effort than it did for me—someone who runs more often—to achieve this feat.
The Shift in Focus: Prioritizing “How Much” Over “How”
In sports as in everyday life, we’ve gradually shifted toward prioritizing numbers at the expense of the human experience. We applaud scores, speed, and metrics. And I know that’s just how society works, because it starts as early as elementary school; children are compared to the average, they compare themselves to their friends, and they receive grades for their oral “performance,” and so on. And I’m not one of those moms who’s written to the school to say we shouldn’t do this for the sake of our children’s well-being! I’m the first to compare their test scores to the average, to see if they’re the only ones who didn’t understand or if they stand out!
But still, the true beauty of an achievement lies in the effort, perseverance, resilience, and the journey itself. Whether my kids get a 90% or a 75%, I don’t care! What I want is for them to have studied and worked hard to get there. If you get a 90% naturally because you’re good at it, without any effort, that’s, in my opinion, far less of an accomplishment than if you get a 72% when you usually get a 60.
Reaching the finish line of a project or a race is an achievement in itself. No matter how fast you cross the line, it’s the commitment you put into it that should inspire others.
And in the business world?
The parallel with the working world is striking, in my opinion. Today, dashboards are driven by KPIs, recurring revenue, and quarterly targets. Again, that’s healthy and necessary to keep the show running! (We’ve got to pay for that espresso at the office, hehe). But by keeping our eyes glued to the dashboard, aren’t we in danger of losing sight of the bigger picture?
Think about Steve Jobs for a second. When he started out in his garage, he didn’t wake up one morning thinking,
“Okay, how am I going to make my first billion?”
He started with much more fundamental questions, such as: What’s the real need? What’s missing in the world today? How can I create an exceptional product that I truly believe in?
Money and massive growth were the result of that vision, not the starting point.
Getting Back to the Core of Our Business
Perhaps it’s time to go back to basics and ask ourselves the right questions within our organizations:
- What are we selling, fundamentally? (Spoiler: it’s rarely just a service or a product—it’s added value or a solution to a real problem.)
- What do our customers really need?
- What position do we want to occupy, and with what values?
A Word on Kindness
To be completely honest, I’m the first to compare myself to others! I’m extremely hard on myself, and I’m learning to be kinder—and that starts with my own inner dialogue. That’s probably why I’m writing this article today!
We live in such a performance-driven culture that I think we also need to learn to take pride in our small steps—or even our less-than-stellar performances—because it’s precisely these small steps and these smallest achievements that teach us about the human beings we are.
#Ilovemarathonsandpeoplethatachievedgoals! But be kind to your inner voice!
