The Metrics That Matter

Making progress and tracking it

Electricity is measured in voltage.

Liquid is measured in liters.

Bodyweight is measured in pounds or kilograms.

Time is measured in seconds, minutes, hours…years, and centuries.

Ad performance is measured in reach, engagement, sales, etc.

The metrics are available for most things in life and they are fixed. They are easy to calculate and they help us do two things — track progress and compare the progress which is great until we get obsessed.

When we get obsessed with how fast or far we are going compared to the people, businesses, or things around us, we slide to the downside of the metrics, we make it boss and we let it mess with us, because, we take from the energy we need to focus on the work that matters to worry about the metrics and sometimes, work for the metrics. That’s unproductive.

Here’s what might be better — change the metrics.

From the number of likes to the degree of focus. How present are you when creating?

From crowd count to lives impacted. How many people did you help become better?

From a VC fund win to solution count. How many people have you solved the problem effectively for? Are they happy?

When we are bold enough to choose our own metrics, we find our own greatness and the metrics bend to it, eventually.

You can work for the metrics or you can be the bold one.