As I alluded to in a previous post, the Thanksgiving turkey trot is fast becoming a favorite tradition for me. In this most recent rendition I pushed a stroller for the 10K and while I was nearly one minute per mile off of my personal best pace, I realized something. In my very first 10K nearly five years ago (without a stroller) I ran an 8:20/mile pace and at the time thought I was faster than lightening. On Thursday, I pushed a strolled with a 50 pound child at an 8:09/mile pace. I think that’s called progress.
In a previous post I talked about quality in customer service and the importance of making continuous small improvements. In running that might mean improving my times on a certain course by a few seconds. In customer service, that could mean finding ways to turn one more detractor into a promoter each month or improving email resolution time by a few minutes.
The point of all this is that these improvements, while small in the moment, add up to significant improvement over time. When you then stand and compare where you were five years ago to where you are now, the difference is night and day and you truly have something to be proud of. Take time daily, weekly and monthly to celebrate small improvements because they are the building blocks on which major improvement and change is made possible.
