In 2007, James Park and Eric Friedman founded their soon-to-be billion dollar company: Fitbit. Its journey to becoming a leading fitness tracker brand was not easy, as their product started out as merely “a wooden box,” but evidently, it was worth it. Today, Fitbits have become commonplace, worn by people from all walks of life who share a common goal (besides the daily 10,000 steps:) to get healthy. We hear all the time how users can no longer go without their Fitbits, and how it’s become an integral part of their lives, with me being no exception. But why all the hype? Here’s why a Fitbit should be the next thing on your wishlist.

1. Set Your Dream Figure

We all know the futility of verbal promises and goals we make and set for ourselves. Whether it’s to lose weight or go out more, the irresistible temptation of a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge and a night of Netflix often overrules any initial determination of “getting fit.” And personally, written goals amounted to nothing more than a waste of paper. With Fitbit, however, you can set definite goals. Your goals are no longer broad, general statements (i.e. losing weight.) Instead, they become specific and measurable (i.e. losing five pounds by the end of the month.)

The best part about Fitbit’s goal setting features, however, is that it not only saves your goals but also generates a plan in achieving them (i.e. cut 625 calories per day) and allows you to numerically measure and visually see your progress. These not only include goals for number of steps taken per day, but also calorie consumption, water intake and hours of sleep. And with the exception of calorie and water intake, Fitbit’s automatic tracking and syncing features makes it a whole lot easier for those of you (like me) who forget or feel too lazy to personally input data. To further aid in keeping your eyes on the goal, there's the Fitbit phone app along with a physical reminder in the form of your Fitbit tracker, and your goals can become that much more real.

2. No One To Blame But Yourself

The easiest way to sidetrack progress is to make excuses. Many of us are all too familiar with the most common complaints of “I’m too tired” and justifying them with “I’ll do more tomorrow.” But with the daily goals set on your Fitbit, your device serves as a reminder that you are ultimately responsible for achieving what you have set out to achieve. A great deal of users credit their more active and healthy lifestyles to their devices, and I can attest to that. The way I see it, Fitbit’s numerical method of tracking progress as it quantifies your daily activities is a major player in letting you feel that you are in control.

3. Crush Your Friends Along The Way

What better way is there to prove to yourself that you’re doing great than to top your best friends on the leaderboard? Fitbit offers a number of challenges, including the Daily Showdown, Workweek Hustle and Weekend Warrior that you can enter with your closest friends and boost your competitive streak. I’m warning you, it’s not to be taken lightly. You’ll find yourself seething when you’re down by a couple hundred steps, wallowing in last place and exuberant when you seize first, named champion of the day, week or weekend. You’ll also find yourself getting sneaky (which I learned the hard way.)

Nearing the end of my second Daily Showdown with a friend, determined to be crowned victorious as payback for a humiliating defeat the day before, I was assured I’d win. I had gotten over 25,000 steps, twice as many as I had gotten the day before, compared with 17,000 of his. I admit I was on the verge of being unreasonable, circling frantically around my room for nearly two hours right up until 12 AM. I eagerly looked to my phone, waiting for the message that would pronounce the end of the challenge… and the winner. My fingers resting on my power and menu button, ready to snapshot my victory, the screen that popped up rendered me speechless. The name that was displayed was not mine, but my friend’s. I was shocked to see that he had walked 26,000 steps, beating me by a margin of nearly 1,000 steps. I slowly processed that he had waited until the last minute to sync all of his steps at once while I had pompously flaunted my progress.

All in all, for the reasons above and many more, there is absolutely no reason why a Fitbit should not be the next item on your wishlist.