Do the points make the person?

I just realized today is my first 100 point day on SparkPeople.

What does that really mean in the grand scheme of things?

Well, it either means a lot or not much, depending on your perspective and goals.

Let me back up a bit... several months ago, one of the ladies on my team finished a couple of months in the top 25 of the SparkPeople Leaderboards... after figuring it out, it meant she averaged over 125 points a day.

I took that as a bit of a challenge. My goal was to see if I could consistently earn 50-75 sparkpoints and see where that put me in the 'ranking'... over the last 2 months, it's put me at or near the top 1,000 members.

Again, what does that mean? Does it mean that I'm at my goal? No. It means that I am one of the top 1-2% utilizers of the site. It means that I'm not going crazy with exercise to earn extra points, or posting on 50 billion message boards a day... I'm just being consistent, and the consistency of keeping in touch with people, reading articles, answering the trivia questions, etc., helps keep me focused on my overall goals.

The more I get involved in the happenings (and helping) of others, the more my resolve is tested and ultimately strengthened. I may not be making super glamorous losses or a super fast physical transformation, but I'm consistently seeing progress in all areas of my life.

Over and above all of that, to me, it means that I'm earning my 3% worthiness. To paraphrase my hubby's coach John Di Lemme, the committee of "They" have determined that 97% of the people who start on this journey don't last, or don't reach their goal, or when they do, they backslide.

The 3% who do reach their goal and maintain that lifestyle for good have laid the foundation to withstand the storms of life, and built habits that constantly propel them to the next level.

My overall goal is to be one of the 3% who helps turn the tide. My dream is to read statistics that say that 97% of people who start out on this journey REACH their goals, MAINTAIN their lifestyle and are a SUCCESS at everything they set out for.

It's high and lofty, but it's my dream and I believe every single person out there is worthy of achieving the deepest desires of their heart.