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Une chose que les hommes ont en commun est qu'ils veulent être heureux, nous dit Frère David Steindl-Rast, moine et érudit interreligions. Et la joie, nous suggère-t-il, nait de la gratitude. Une leçon et une source d'inspiration sur l'art de ralentir, de regarder autour de soi, et plus que tout, d'être reconnaissant.
Stop, look, go!
We're taught to try to live life without regret. But why? Using her own tattoo as an example, Kathryn Schulz makes a powerful and moving case for embracing our regrets.
Learn to live with your regrets, and make sure you’ll do better in the future
Psychologist Barry Schwartz takes aim at a central tenet of western societies: freedom of choice. In Schwartz's estimation, choice has made us not freer but more paralyzed, not happier but more dissatisfied.
The more options there are, the easier it is to regret anything at all...
Why choice makes people miserable:
1) Regret and anticipated regret
2) Opportunity costs
3) Escalation of expectations
4) Self-blame
Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn't make sense, but he's never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window -- and encourages us to think harder about what we're really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals -- including embracing failure. "The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they're the ones who try the most," Grant says. "You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones."
Consider reconsidering - By Seth Godin
Is there any other form of freedom that comes at such a low cost?
The freedom to change a habit, to change your mind, to change your expectations.
It takes guts and humility to change your mind. Fortunately, you have the freedom and the courage to do so.
Source here
Training to Be a Good Writer - By Leo Babauta
I’m not going to claim to be the world’s greatest writer, but I do think I’m reasonably competent. I’ve been training for 25 years, and I make a living as a writer.
For those who are just starting out as writers, I’d like to share my training. I didn’t wake up and suddenly know how to write — I’ve been training for most of my life.
A short background on my writing career: I started out as a sportswriter, as a senior in high school, and eventually became a full-time reporter and then editor for my local paper on Guam. I went on to do freelance writing for magazines and other publications, worked for awhile as a bill writer for lawmakers and a speechwriter for the Guam governor. Eventually I started my own blog while doing freelance blogging for about 5 different blogs. Finally, I’ve written my blog for almost 10 years now, and have written numerous books and courses.
Here are the most important aspects of my training, in no particular order:
Write every day. I write pretty much every single day. Not just once or twice a week, but every day. In various forms: for my blog, for my Sea Change Program, or for a new book or course I might be creating. This is perhaps the most important thing I’ve done in these 25 years, because constant practice has smoothed out the rough edges a bit, and made the difficult obstacles a lot less scary. I recommend doing a daily or every-other-day blog.
Learn to overcome the resistance. Every writer faces the resistance that keeps them from writing, the procrastination urge that pushes them toward distraction and busywork. I’m not immune, but I’ve learned to face the resistance instead of running from it. I’ve learned not to be so scared of it. I’ve learned to just get started without thinking too much about it. If resistance is stopping you from writing every day, face it down and don’t back away.
See writing as a mindfulness practice. I see writing as a form of meditation, where I can let everything else fall away for a few moments and just stay with this one activity. It means I need to get my mind into the writing space, notice when the urge to go to distraction comes up, and not just automatically follow the urge. I can look within myself and let feelings flow out through the written word, or see the truths within me and try to channel those onto the page.
Do timed writing sessions. Just as you might set a timer for meditation, it’s beautifully helpful to set a timer for writing sessions. For example, you might do a 10-minute session, just letting the words flow and trying to stay mindful during that 10 minutes. Know it’s a limited time allows you to let go of some of your fears and just be present with the writing.
Learn to deal with the fears. All writers grapple with fears — fears of failure and not being good enough, fear of discomfort and uncertainty and going into places that scare us. Some let the fears stop them from starting, or keep them away from the writing, or running to distraction. But I’ve found it useful to learn to stay with the fears, and write anyway. Yes, you can be very uncomfortable and filled with uncertainty, and still write. You can sit with the fear for a minute, and then start writing. These fears are scary, but they’re not so bad when you allow yourself to face them.
Care about the craft. A writer crafts words, and so should care about them. That means trying to get good at spelling and grammar, the basics of writing. That doesn’t mean you’ll never have typos, but it does mean you’ll constantly try to get better at the basics. You wouldn’t be a carpenter without learning how to hammer and saw, would you? When you’re done writing, run it through a spell check and try to learn the words you missed. Look up words often in a dictionary. Let a friend proofread your work and try not to make the same mistakes over and over again. Pick up the AP or Chicago style manual and learn some of the more common styles, and try to be consistent.
But get over perfectionism. That said, don’t let your lack of knowledge of the basics of writing stop you. Just write. You’ll learn as you go, with constant practice and care. In the meantime, you want to let go of any ideals you might be holding for yourself, ideals that might be holding you back. Dive in, and just do it. Publish your first or second drafts, without needing it to be perfect. Typos aren’t such a big deal.
Learn to type. This isn’t required, of course, but knowing how to touch-type is a good skill for a writer. It doesn’t take long to master — there are programs online that will teach you the basics and drill it into you, and within a month you’ll be not so horrible. After a year, you’ll be a master. It helps you to get the words out of your head faster if you can type at a decent rate.
Learn to write on deadline. One of the most valuable skills I learned as a newspaper reporter was how to write on deadline. Every day, we had to submit one or more articles (sometimes five or six of them!), and we had an editor breathing down our necks, trying to meet her own submissions deadlines. There’s pressure, but what you learn is that you can get the article done on time, if you focus. You learn not to worry about perfection, not to let the fears get in the way, and just to get the words out. And how to revise quickly. If you don’t work for a newspaper, set a deadline for yourself, tell it to someone else, send them your writing by the deadline or suffer a consequence.
Read a lot. The best writers (those far better than me) read voraciously. I read all the time — fiction is my favorite, but I also read non-fiction books and long-form articles online. Reading good writing shapes your own writing, giving you inspiration and expanding your use of language. Read a lot!
Steal from others. When you find a writer who does something beautifully, rip them off. Try it in your own writing, mix it in with what you already do, remix it with what you find elsewhere, and make it your own.
Keep notes on writing. When you find something worth stealing, add it to a text doc or put it in a writing notebook. When you have ideas for a novel, a blog post, a character, an insight … add it to the notebook. Mine it regularly.
Find fellow writers. If you’re having trouble sticking to a writing schedule, find other writers in your area or online, and meet with them regularly. Share your writing with each other, discuss problems you’re having, read other writers in your genre. A small writing group is a time-tested tool, and helps you see that you’re not in this alone.
Understand the reader. Another of the most important things I learned as a newspaper reporter was to understand the mindset of the reader. Many beginning writers just write whatever is in their heads, but then it might not be so understandable or interesting to the reader. These days I think in terms of how the reader will understand the article, what context they need, how clear my sentences are, what experience I’m creating for the reader.
So that might seem like a lot to take on! It’s doable, though, if you just keep churning away, every day, and learn all of this a little at a time.
A few points I’d like to make for those who’d like to write:
Anyone can write, and everyone should. You don’t have to be James Joyce to write. Even if you never want to be a pro, you can write in a journal every day, or write letters to a loved one (and send them or not). You don’t have to be polished. And it’s a great practice, to learn to focus and overcome fears and procrastination, and learn to allow the words to flow from the mind.
Start where you are. Whether you’ve been writing for a few years or you’re just starting out, whether you have a talent for words or you struggle, that is the place to start. It doesn’t matter where you are, or how you compare to others — just write, working with whatever you’re struggling with. You’ll get better over the course of time, and more comfortable with what you’re doing.
You get good by doing it a lot, and caring. You’ll never be perfect at it — goodness knows I’m far from perfect — but the only way to get better is to practice. And to care about what you’re doing. Do that every day, and every step of the struggle will be an amazing one.
All You Need, You Already Have - By Leo Babauta
There is a famous stone water basin (or “tsukubai”) outside of the even more famous Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, with four characters that read: “ware tada shiru taru.”
This is a Zen saying that can be translated in a number of ways, all to do with contentment. But my favorite translation is:
“All you need, you already have.”
I think it’s such a lovely way of looking at life.
As you sit here reading this article, pause and take an assessment of your life right now. Chances are, you have enough food, clothing, shelter, and other basic necessities in your life. You might also have loved ones, people who care about you. You are (mostly) comfortable, without any desperate needs. All you need, you already have.
And yet we don’t see life this way … we are dissatisfied, looking for more comfort, more love, more knowledge, more certainty, more possessions, more food, more entertainment, more validation. I do this too — I’m not criticizing anyone. We don’t often embody the idea that we already have enough.
If we remember to do so, we can give thanks for what we have. We can appreciate the beauty, the preciousness, of every moment, of being alive. It is a miracle, and we don’t have to take it for granted.
So to me the question is: how can we learn to embody this idea?
“All you need, you already have.”
Learning to Embody Enough-ness
It’s nice to say that we have all we need, but what does this mean in practice? What actions can we take to help us remember this?
I find it helpful to try to remember a few principles in my daily life:
Appreciation. If we have all we need, the problem is that we forget this simple fact. So we can develop the habit of noticing what we already have, being thankful for it, not taking it for granted. We can appreciate the people in our lives (instead of complaining about them), the possessions we already have (instead of thinking we need more), the food we get to eat (which might mitigate our desire for yet more food pleasures), the simple moments that we often take for granted (instead of needing even more entertainment and distraction).
Respect. If we appreciate something or someone, we might treat them with respect. In the Zen tradition, bowing to others and even to your meditation cushion are a deep part of practice. It shows a respect for the world around us, which supports us and which we are deeply a part of. You might not want to bow to everyone you meet, but you can make a mental bow to them, offering respect internally even if you don’t make any sign that you’re bowing. It will show in your other actions.
Turning towards others. If we already have enough … why worry so much about ourselves? Why not see what we can do for others? There are others who are suffering, perhaps starving or facing violence, or perhaps just sick with anxiety or depression. We can’t solve all of these ills alone, of course, but if we do our best to help others as much as possible, perhaps we can contribute towards the betterment of the lives of all beings. This doesn’t mean you need to spend every waking hour devoted to helping other people, but even considering whether your motivations are other-facing or for yourself is a good practice.
So how do we learn to embody these principles? Through habits and rituals.
Rituals to Embody Enough-ness
It’s hard to remember to be present and grateful and filled with enough-ness throughout the day, with all that we have going on, with all of our distractions and internal stories.
So I recommend forming little rituals that help us remember.
Here’s a list of ideas for rituals, but I don’t recommend trying to form all of these rituals, and especially not all at once — try one at a time and see what helps you:
Wake up and say a little prayer of thanks for what you have in your life.
Keep a one-paragraph gratitude journal every evening.
When you meet someone, bow to them (in your mind) out of respect. You might touch your heart or offer them a smile if that helps.
When you eat, say a little prayer of thanks to everyone who made your meal possible (farmers, cooks, transporters, their families, etc.). Appreciate every bite if you can.
Before you start a new activity (a work task, a workout, a meeting), pause and ask yourself what your intention is for this activity. Is it focused on helping others?
When you are done with an activity, show respect for others, your environment and your equipment by respectfully and mindfully cleaning up, instead of rushing to the next activity.
There are other rituals, of course, but these are a good start.
You might also ask yourself, before you buy something … whether you really need more or if you have enough. Ask yourself, before you go to an app on your phone or a website on your computer … whether you are doing it to help others or to fulfill a “need” that you don’t need fulfilled. Ask yourself, as you interact with someone else, whether you’re showing them deep respect and appreciation, whether you’re focused on helping them or protecting yourself.
Ask yourself, regularly throughout your day, whether you have all you need. I think you’ll find that you do, and by appreciating that fact more often, you can see what a profound miracle that is.
Your human-size life - by Dave Winer
Source : http://scripting.com/2016/05/31/1296.html
In the early years of this blog I wrote a lot about the personal struggles of people who had attained financial independence only to find out that it revealed that money was not what was standing in the way of happiness. That's contrary to the message of our society, which is this:
Until you're rich, you're miserable.
Once you're rich, it's all great!
I was fascinated with this topic, because a few years earlier, when the company I founded went public, I had achieved this independence, and found that I wasn't happy. I felt like I had done all that had been asked of me, and I was promised happiness, and I had been cheated, and wanted to understand why.
Before I hit the mother lode, I was just another gold digger, struggling to make payroll, even though my company had offices on Easy Street (not a joke) in Mountain View. I was actually having as much fun as you could have, but didn't know it at the time.
One evening, I was walking around the neighborhood of the office when I met a friend of a friend, let's call him Joe (not his real name) and stopped to chat. I had heard that he was very rich, and asked why he lived in such a modest middle-class neighborhood when he could afford an estate in Los Altos Hills or Portola Valley. He said he preferred to live a modest life, to live within his ability to use his wealth, and just kept the money as a cushion in case something went bad, someone in his family got sick, or some other emergency.
I thought then this was puzzling, I didn't get it, but now, with the benefit of almost 30 years of hindsight, I realize he was totally right. One of the biggest mistakes rich people make is to try to live larger than a single human being can. A mathematical impossibility. You can buy a big house, but you can only sleep in one bedroom at a time. You can own twenty fantastic cars, airplanes and yachts, but you can only be in one at a time. You can own an NBA team and a MLB team, and you get to sit in the nicest seat in the house at games, but you still can only sit in one seat. In other words, your humanity doesn't increase just because your wealth did. You don't get bigger.
And it's even worse than it appears -- the struggle to live more than one life will fail, and it will make you feel like a failure, just as you felt before you made the money! So being rich does not mean success if your goal is to achieve immortal super-human-ness.
You can see that horrific struggle in Peter Thiel's actions and statements. He says he's going to live forever, and so will today's college grads. And I assume in the back of his mind he's also going to solve the problem of just getting one body to use. He will persevere and find a way to sleep in his San Francisco mansion and his New York penthouse at the same time. But here's the problem -- even if he achieves these goals, and of course he won't -- he still won't be happy.
I can say this with some certainty because I've been down the road he's on, and I got off. And I just watched. Watched as the super-rich of my generation got old and their arteries hardened. They got used to talking to servants, and having their asses kissed at all times, and never having to listen to anyone tell them they're full of shit. I'm a few years older than Thiel, and if he had seen what I have seen, he wouldn't be so happy about living forever.
I think we all need a struggle, I think that's where our creativity comes from. We need something that feels unattainable, but actually is not. But the struggle to rise above our humanity, that's not going to happen for any of us. And the desire to have it robs your very human life of any value.
Joe had it right. Live a gentle human-size life. Go for a walk in your middle-class neighborhood and run into a friend of a friend and share what you see, and influence their life for the better. That's the kind of thing a human can do. And it is, imho, where happiness comes from.
The possibility of optimism (the optimism of possibility) - by Seth Godin
Is the glass half full or half empty?
The pessimist sees what's present today and can only imagine eventual decline. The glass is already half empty and it's only going to get worse.
The optimist understands that there's a difference between today and tomorrow. The glass is half full, with room for more. The vision is based on possibility, the future tense, not the present one.
Pessimists have trouble making room for possibility, and thus possibility has trouble finding room for pessimists.
As soon as we realize that there is a difference between right now and what might happen next, we can move ourselves to the posture of possibility, to the self-fulfilling engine of optimism.
The Dirty Little Secrets About Failure - By Leah Hynes and Nazrin Murphie
As someone who is looking to make their mark, make a difference, live true to their potential or make their impact in the world, then it’s likely you’ve faced the ‘F’ word at some stage:
Failure.
At Live Your Legend we are all about taking action on your ideas, dreams, passions and making real progress, no matter how small and incremental. And as long as you are courageous enough to get out of your head and into momentum (i.e. take action) then soon enough you will encounter things not working out as you expected:
You will write a blog post and no one will comment
Someone will say ‘no thanks’ to an offer you make
No one shows up to an event you host
Only your Dad and your cat subscribe to your newsletter
Someone tells you you’re crazy for the idea you have
You receive less than ideal feedback on a service or product you created
The list goes on…
In 2014 we had plans to host an big and exciting event in Australia. We had visions of 1,200 people coming together to talk all things passion and difference making. We scoped out venues, we created a rough program, drafted a sales page, promoted it, and even started inviting big name speakers.
Except there was one small (BIG!) problem. We didn’t sell more than a handful of tickets and we were looking down the barrel of thousands of dollars invested. So we pushed even harder and created personalized videos inviting people from all over the world. But aside from the handful of people, person after person politely replied ‘No thank you’.
We couldn’t figure it out… surely there was an appetite for this kind of live event in Australia! Surely we could get people onboard for a ‘first of it’s kind’ event? What the hell is wrong with people?!
But in the end, we did what we never thought we’d have to do: we cancelled the event, refunded the handful of tickets, communicated to people that it was off, and generally felt pretty disappointed and frustrated by the lack of response to something we were so invested in.
It was a huge blow. We had failed fast. Or had we…?
Failure is a Dirty Word
Failure is a dirty word in our society. And very few want to talk about it.
Why? Because we immediately associate it with who we are and it hits us where it hurts – our ego.
I am a failure. I am not good enough. I suck at this. I messed the whole thing up. It’s all my fault.
As humans, we immediately and often very automatically make failure very personal to us. We collapse who we are with what we do (or don’t do), and what we have (or don’t have).
Except it’s simply not true. Saying ‘I failed’ or ‘I am a failure’ is simply a way you keep yourself playing safe and small. It’s a trick your brain plays on you to make sure you quit and get comfortable again.
You might say things to yourself like:
‘I knew this was a bad idea’
‘See, I told you you’d mess it up’
‘This whole passion thing is too much hard work, it’s unrealistic.’
And this keeps your ego very happy as it starts to convince you that moving outside of your comfort zone is too risky. So, you give up on your dream/s and head back to your ordinary existence.
You see, our minds hate us being uncomfortable, thinking differently or breaking through challenges. Because as Eckhart Tolle says in The Power of Now:
The mind IS resistance.
But there is a the dirty little secret about failure that your mind doesn’t want you to know… It doesn’t actually exist.
What is Failure?
So if failure doesn’t exist, what is that experience of things not working out? Well, when something doesn’t work out, all you have is feedback of information.
Failure is Feedback, Nothing More
No success, no failure. No winning. No losing. Just information.
The real power comes from what you choose to do with that information.
For example, does it :
Take you out of the game?
Help you improve something?
Save you thousands of dollars?
Refocus your intention?
Result in you putting something on hold?
Enable you to learn what works and doesn’t work?
The Danger of Expectations
The only reason that we experience this thing called ‘failure’ is that we have an expectation of how something should go in the first place.
And the only thing expectations are good for is creating disappointment…
We expected to sell out our event in Australia. We expected people would say ‘hell yes!’ and we expected everything to take off. So of course when it did not, we were left with disappointment and an experience of failure.
What expectations are you holding in mind as you create magic in the world? And how are those expectations serving you (or not)?
Reframing Failure & Asking Better Questions
So, given that we are all likely to face some kind of setback as we strive to do something that matters, how do we start to reframe this idea of failure and drop our expectations so that we can be propelled forward, instead of throwing in the towel?
Here are some simple steps to get you on your way:
1. DROP EXPECTATIONS & CREATE A POWERFUL INTENTION
Expectations are not in service of us. But you might be left asking ‘What about goals and big visions? I don’t want to let those go! Instead of creating expectations, get clear on your intentions.
For example, your intention could be: ‘To share my message in the best way I know how’ or‘To get clear on my passion’ or ‘To connect with like-minded people’. There are many different ways to achieve these intentions!
2. REMIND YOURSELF THAT THERE IS NO FAILURE, ONLY FEEDBACK OF INFORMATION
Once your expectations have been released, now you are open to receiving all information. To help you sift through this information effectively, see Step 3.
3. ASK YOURSELF (AND ANSWER) SOME POWERFUL QUESTIONS
What didn’t work about this? What can I change and adjust to improve it? What information do I have to better understand why this didn’t work? Who can I ask who will tell me the truth? What worked well about my effort and intention? Is this something that I want, but nobody currently needs? Does this project just need to go on hold and could I try again later?
4. TAKE WHAT WORKS & ADJUST YOUR AIM
Based on the answers to the above questions, you can now make some important decisions to move forward. For us, we decided that for our event, it simply wasn’t the right time to host it and that we should wait longer and test it out again the following year.
What decision can you make based on the information? Which information will you take on board and which will you leave behind? Make some decisions and move forward.
There is No Failure, Only Feedback
So, while you might have heard of lots of stories about people trying something out and failing or how they failed umpteen number of times before they got a break, it’s less about overcoming ‘failure’ and more about their effective use of the feedback of information.
Because while the rest of us were mourning our ‘failures’, they were busy refining, learning and testing…
What information have you missed along the way? And what information are you currently being fed from your peers, community, mentors or clients that could help you refine, adjust or improve what you are doing?
– Leah & Naz
The originality paradox - By Seth Godin
There are a billion people trying to do something important for the first time. These people are connected by the net, posting, creating, daring to leap first.
It's hard, because the number of people racing with you to be original is huge.
The numbers are so daunting that the chances that you will create something that resonates, spreads and changes the culture are really close to zero.
But it's also certain that someone will. In fact, there's a 100% chance that someone will step up with an action or a concept so daring that it resonates with us.
Nearly zero and certain. At the same time.
Pick your odds, decide what you care about and act accordingly.
Philippe GABILLIET, Docteur en Sciences de Gestion, Professeur Associé et Directeur Académique du Executive European MBA (biograpphie: http://escpeuro.pe/1ab...
The Biggest Reason We Don’t Stay on a Regular Exercise Habit - By Leo Babauta
There are so many benefits to exercise, from cancer prevention to brain health, from heart health to better weight management, from stronger bones to less stress and more happiness … so why is it so hard for most people to stick to a regular exercise habit?
It turns out that there’s really only one reason.
You might say you’re too busy, but if you spend any time on social media like Facebook, news sites, blogs, Netflix or Youtube … you have the time. You’re just choosing to do other things.
You might say you’re too tired, and that might be true … but actually, exercise results in having more energy over time, so the truth is that we’re prioritizing the short term over the long term when we skip exercise.
And this is the crux of the problem: we are making a choice to do other things over exercise.
It’s a choice, not a problem of time or energy.
Why are we making this choice to not exercise? If we dig down a bit deeper, it comes down to a belief that underlies the choice.
I’m going to steal from the Clean Slate blog, which talks about the myth of addiction being a disease … and says that instead, drug or alcohol use is a choice that comes down to one thing:
“People freely choose to use drugs and alcohol because, at the time they’re doing it, they believe it will make them happy. At the time they do it, they believe it is their best available option for attaining happiness.”
And in my experience, this is true. We have beliefs that power our choices, even if we don’t always know what those beliefs are.
What are your beliefs about exercise that are driving your habits? Here are some examples:
You believe that exercise is hard, and going online is easier and more fun.
You believe that if you’re tired, procrastinating or resting will make you happier than if you get off your butt and exercise.
You believe that If you’re busy, you’ll be happier if you put off exercise.
You might not actually say any of these out loud, or even admit them to yourself. But your heart believes them (or something similar), and you act on these beliefs.
When it comes down to it, you’ve been making choices based on these beliefs. And that’s what’s stopping you from sticking to a regular exercise habit.
The Good News
Here’s the good news: beliefs are malleable. They can be changed, by your mind. And by backing up your changed beliefs with action.
We hold strongly to our beliefs, but they aren’t set in stone. They are carved in clay.
Here are some beliefs you can try on instead, like a new costume:
I’m happier when I am outdoors and moving.
I’m happier when I exercise every day.
I feel stronger, more powerful, more empowered, more energized, when I exercise regularly.
I feel better about myself when I exercise.
I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with a good workout.
My health matters to me more than going online or watching things.
Say them to yourself. Write them down. Put them into action, and focus on the parts of the action that reinforce them.
In the end, it takes a little time to create new beliefs, but what you’re really doing is creating a new you. Tossing out your old beliefs and carving out new ones is worth the life you’ll be creating.
Scott Dinsmore quit a job that made him miserable, and spent the next four years wondering how to find work that was joyful and meaningful. He shares what he learned in this deceptively simple talk about finding out what matters to you — and then getting started doing it.
You don’t need to change your goals, you just need to change your surroundings
The One Thing You Should Know; Before You Die I'm so happy to be working as a Futurologist with Neste on a project called #PreOrderTheFuture. If you have ...
Numbers (and the magic of measuring the right thing) - By Seth Godin
What you measure usually gets paid attention to, and what you pay attention to, usually gets better.
Numbers supercharge measurement, because numbers are easy to compare.
Numbers make it difficult to hide.
And hence the problem.
Income is easy to measure, and so we fall into the trap that people who make more money are better, or happier, or somehow more worthy of respect and dignity.
Likes are easy to measure, so social media becomes a race to the bottom, where the panderer and the exhibitionist win.
Five star reviews are easy to measure, so creators feel the pressure to get more of them.
But wait!
What does it mean to 'win'? Is maximizing the convenient number actually going to produce the impact and the outcome you wanted?
Is the most important work always the most popular? Does widespread acceptance translate into significant impact? Or even significant sales? Is the bestseller list also the bestbook list?
Who are these reviews from? Are they based on expectations (a marketing function) or are they based on the change you were trying to make? It turns out that great books and great movies get more than their fair share of lousy reviews--because popular items attract more users, and those users might not be people you were seeking to please.
Or consider graduation rates. The easiest way to make them go up is to lower standards. Or to get troublesome students to transfer to other institutions or even to get them arrested. When we lose track of what's important in our rush to keep track of what's measurable, we fail.
The right numbers matter. A hundred years ago, Henry Ford figured out how to build a car far cheaper than his competitors. He was selling the Model T for a fraction of what it cost other companies to even make one of their cars. And so measuring the cost of manufacture became urgent and essential.
And farmers discovered the yield was the secret to their success, so tons per acre became the most important thing to measure. Until people started keeping track of flavor, nutrition and side effects.
And then generals starting measuring body count...
When you measure the wrong thing, you get the wrong thing. Perhaps you can be precise in your measurement, but precision is not significance.
On the other hand, when you are able to expose your work and your process to the right thing, to the metric that actually matters, good things happen.
We need to spend more time figuring out what to keep track of, and less time actually obsessing over the numbers that we are already measuring.