We’ve all seen our friends sporting Fitbits on their arms. The Fitbit is a wireless activity tracker that can measure data such as the number of steps taken, quality of sleep, and heart rate. It is worn like a watch, and it seriously doesn’t miss a beat. Every step is counted. Throughout the day, my family and I are in constant competition with each other to see who can reach the goal of 10,000 steps per day. However, although being in intense competition with my loved ones is exciting, this tiny watch has actually taught me something valuable about the way we approach our lives on a daily basis. As I start my day and fasten my Fitbit, I officially become aware of my goal for the day . . . 10,000 steps! I find myself taking the stairs rather than the elevator, I park in the farthest parking spot from the entrance to the store, and I don’t think twice about running back into the house because I forgot something.

Last Tuesday, during my son’s baseball game, he asked me to go back to the car to get his sweatshirt. At first I refused and told him to get it himself. Then I remembered my Fitbit. I wanted to go to the car! I happily went to get the sweatshirt with a skip in my step.

A few days later, during a class at my house, the discussion of mitzvahs came up. A lady in the class mentioned that Jews do mitzvahs every day, but they are probably not aware of most of them. So, do they count? We all agreed that they do indeed count. That was when I realized something.

Before I got the Fitbit, I was still walking. Did I walk as much? No. Was I aware of each step? No. Did I enjoy taking each step? Um, probably not. However, once I started to think about it, I realized that our mitzvah observance is very much like my relationship with the Fitbit. Before, I still took the steps, and yes, the steps still counted. Yet once I became aware of the meaning of my steps, the importance of each step and how each and every step was being recorded, I wanted to take those steps! Being aware of how each move I made affected me in a positive way was fun!

So, too, there are a number of ways we can approach our observance of mitzvahs. The first approach is one of unawareness. We do the mitzvahs, but we don’t know it. This still counts, but it’s not so exciting. With the second approach, we know we’re doing the mitzvahs, but we’re not really paying attention. The ideal approach is when we are aware of each mitzvah, and we can choose to do each one with enthusiasm and excitement, because we know how much it counts!

So, yes, it took a tiny gadget to open my eyes to something so integral to our purpose in this world—recognizing that every move we make is recorded and not wasted. If we live with this awareness, we’ll truly treasure each opportunity to do a mitzvah. So let’s get moving!