Daily Inspiration 2-17-14

"If you have to measure a result, 

it's not big enough." 

 -- Nicholas Negroponte 

I haven't been on the bathroom scale for many months. I don't plan on ever stepping foot on one again. It's a waste of time, and more important, it is a misuse of my energy.

I know where my body is in its size and shape, and even in comparison to what it may have been some years ago, so to have a mechanical device like the scale remind me is unnecessary. When I want to change it, I can change it. In fact, I am the only one who can change it.

My business is the same way. If I have to pay much attention to the financial statements and how they have changed over the last many months or versus last month, or last year, or the last six years, it's not big enough.

What are we measuring? Are we even measuring things that truly matter?

I love Albert Einstein's famous quote on this subject. He said, "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." This always causes me to think of either looking at the cracks in the sidewalk or on the horizon. One thing that I have learned about counting things is that this can become a full-time occupation and almost no one will ever see the reports--or give a damn about them. Even if they ordered them.

In some places I've worked they would have these planning meetings and have us give forecasts of what we were going to do for the next 12 months. The weather person cannot even be 100% predicting the weather for the next week. Those sessions were pretty much a total waste of time for everyone involved. After the meetings were over, there was never anything done about it until the next 12 month meeting a year in the future. It's as if we all have crystal balls or something. Silly. And, to top it off, the forecasts had better have a minimum of 10% growth over that last 12 months!

These are all such small things to measure. They can be counted, but hardly ever really count. The things that really count are how we feel about what we are doing, how we interact with each other and our customers and clients. How we feel about ourselves and our desire to be of service, be a part of the whole, and support and encourage each other. What really matters is our own personal joy, enthusiasm and love. What really matters is mutual respect and compassion. These are the things that really count and they can all be counted in how our business is doing, and how our marriage and family is doing, and how we are doing with the one person we spend 100% of our time with: ourselves. Anything done to raise the count in these things has a grand payoff.


What Are You Measuring? Does It Count? 

Spread Some Joy Today--Does it all come down to feeling good? Isn't that why we do what we do? In the hopes of feeling better? Joy is just a couple steps up.