How many sheep do you need to count before falling asleep? Why don’t we count wolves instead? It is true that a lot of content creators, whether by video or text, draw usually attention by appealing to numbers. Numbers are somehow something in between real and unreal: we can see with our eyes that we have five fingers, but we cannot actually tell what does five mean. It is an abstract idea embedded in the nature that surrounds us.

Sometimes it may happen that you get emotionally altered by numbers, which prevents you from reading a post, unlocking the next step in your business career, or simply chatting with someone. Under these circumstances, it is good to dispel the myth.

Numbers count and do not count at the same time. Their quality is to unite things you are counting. They also help us create borders and order things. What’s the difference between Sunday and Tuesday? They are both days of the week.

Eventually, it is the value that we give to things that makes the difference. I can talk to dozens of people without getting satisfied, but when I talk to that person, it fills all the emptyness. Why? What’s the difference between the two scenarios?

When we give value to our thoughts and actions, we care about not wasting time and resources, minimising their use but maximising their worth. Less thoughts and actions of high values. Why do we give the gold medal to the athlete who arrives first at a competition? What’s the difference between the one that arrived second to last?

Why the prices of houses may be staggering in highly urbanised centres across the globe? Why there are point where they have no value at all?

The answers to all these questions actually depend on the context. As a general rule of thumb, we need to calibrate our own vision of the universe according to what makes us happy and satisfied. If a certain job does not make us a lot of money but we like performing it for certain reasons, its value increases. Changing the perspective we use to observe things can help modify the way we give value to them. Something that may appear negative to us can mutate all of a sudden if some work is left behind.

To an extent, we can say that the direction taken to accomplish a mission is more important than the time spent completing it. If it takes more time to do a specific task but its value to you is high, then it is definitely worth doing it.

One task that is definitely worth investing in is self-development. It is here that you understand how to evaluate things and according to what criteria. When you get mesmerised or disenchanted by a number, it means that you need to work harder on yourself to better understand the real importance behind that point. If someone tells you they earn seven figures from their job, you may want to ask them if they really like what they do and why they do it. Mere numbers are just abstract ideas that help us live better and in a more harmonious society.