On Saturday I rode 50 miles in a bicycle ride in Columbus to raise money for cancer research.
It is called Pelotonia and over 6,000 riders participate. As we were lining up to begin, the announcer reminded us that it was a ride, not a race.
As a ride we were given permission to go at our own pace, have fun, stay safe and look out for each other.
Had it been a race, there would have been more pressure. We likely would not have enjoyed slowing down to talk with other riders along the way. We might not have been so supportive of each other, pulling over when someone got a flat or broke their chain.
Marshall Goldsmith, an acclaimed business coach and author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, says in his book that the #1 behavior executives exhibit is “winning too much.” We turn too many things into a competition. There is a fine line between being competitive and being overly competitive (winning when no one is counting).
We try to win every argument, to top each other for who has the worst day, the most “to-do’s,” or gets the least amount of sleep.
In addition to supporting cancer research, Pelotonia can also show us ways to prolong life. When we start thinking of life as a ride and not a race, we might savor the moment longer without rushing to the next thing.