Count on it

Years ago I was a collector of stuff. Stamps, Smurfs, anything with fish on it. But now, as a well-known minimalist, my collecting days are over.

Kind of.

I’m now into collecting something that takes up no room and reaps huge benefits. From the moment I wake up until I rest my head back on the pillow, I am accruing, calculating and tallying—often without even being aware I’m doing it—points. Lots and lots of points.

It starts with my first step. Literally. Counted by my watch and watched over by my health insurance, every day that I reach 10,000 steps I receive one dollar towards an Amazon gift card. I also get points at my gym. Each revolution of my spinning legs at Flywheel gains me points, which are added up and can be redeemed for prizes. (Note: the prizes and gift cards aren’t my goal, but they do add motivation.)

I also get points for shopping online (eBates), drinking (Starbucks), traveling (Jetblue) and paying bills (Visa). And I’m not the only collector. How many people just started off the New Year counting calories? Or days since their last cigarette? Points have always been used as a way to gauge progress. School grades, social security credits, even canines are judged at dog shows.

Collecting points is improving my health and helping my savings, but best of all, points don’t require dusting or reorganizing. Now that’s something worth collecting.

Happy New You!