Life is not all about the numbers. They tell us the results and the measurements we may use to understand the situation; however, they do not tell us everything that is going on. For example, your checkbook balance may not be the best measure of our financial success. Your weight may not show exactly how hard you are working to get into shape. Your Facebook friends may not actually measure your ability to make true and lifelong friends.
Be careful how you ‘measure’ your success and progress. Be wise in how you interpret the numbers pertaining to your life. Don’t let your age be a number that shuts down your willingness to try new things or change, or prevent you from having silly, joyful, giggles and fun. And let’s be sure not to judge those who do not have as many years as us, they will usually surprise us in what they can do and create. Age is just a number, it isn’t the only number. It is one measure of how long we have been alive, but it does not have any bearing on the amount of living that has taken place.
Some people get caught up in things like salary, or job level, the number of emails they receive in a day, the time they spend returning phone calls, or the hours they spend in the office. All of these things are numbers yet tell us nothing about effectiveness or leadership or the ability to implement. They may give clues to how you lead or delegate, but they have no true measure of how you impact people’s lives. Other people get caught up in their address – living on a low number street or a high income area of town; yet all that really measures is the price you are paying to live where you live. It has nothing to do with the warmth and friendship within the four walls of your home, or the neighbors you share your life with along the journey of each and every week. The address may impress, which tells us nothing about you as a person.
As we review the numbers of our lives, let’s be sure to put them into perspective. High or low, single, double or triple digit let’s realize what they report and the story behind the number that they may never really measure. It’s time to stop judging value, humanity and self worth by numeric data. It’s time to value ourselves and our achievements by the way they change our own world, the lives of those we love, and help make this planet a better place to dwell. Being true to who you are no matter what the metrics report allows us to live life beyond the numbers.
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