107: On prioritizing experiences over shiny numbers
If you feel resistant toward doing something differently or less frequently in your business, even when you know it would be beneficial, this episode is for you.
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I recently decided to create episodes every other week instead of weekly, so that I’ll have time for other important business tasks, in addition to making time to enjoy summer and a couple of trips. While this decision has brought relief in the form of freed up time and energy, I’ve also felt some mental resistance towards producing fewer episodes.
Having just celebrated the 100th episode milestone a few months ago, I realized that this new podcasting schedule means it'll take FOUR YEARS to reach the 200-episode mark. This realization has made me feel uneasy, and has prompted the "high achiever" voice in my brain to question what this says about my abilities and dedication.
To deal with these uneasy feelings, I came up with some truths to remind myself of:
Numbers don’t define success. The number of episodes doesn't determine the worth, success, or legitimacy of my podcast or business.
Reaching milestones faster doesn't in itself mean anything. It's more important to focus on the quality of content over the quantity of episodes.
I don’t need to follow through on all my ideas. It's impossible to address all my episode ideas, so it's crucial to pick and choose the ones that will be most helpful, impactful, or unique. The value of the podcast lies in delivering valuable content rather than rushing to reach a certain number of episodes.
I don’t have to stick with this schedule forever. And I might even retire this podcast and start a new one!
Balance matters. While consistency is great in keeping up with a podcasting routine and to have a regular outlet for my thoughts, it's crucial to avoid overcommitting when my energy is needed elsewhere. Building balance allows me to nurture creativity without burning out. Fingers crossed!
I can’t help but think about how wild it is, that metrics often take precedence over the actual experiences we’re having, or hoping to have.
👉 The relief of having a smaller workload.
👉 The enjoyment that comes from doing something that aligns with us better.
👉 The excitement for the space we’ve freed up for other interests and projects.
This mentality might stem from societal expectations, school grading systems, and the online business world's emphasis on numbers as the ultimate measure of success.
While reaching certain milestones can be gratifying, we can’t let them be the only factor we consider when making decisions. We’ll be far happier and make more holistically beneficial, sustainable decisions if we detach ourselves from momentarily satisfying numbers and metrics.
I’m not saying we don’t need to make money or that it isn’t a big deal to reach milestones. But we gotta pay attention to when we’re focusing so much on the numbers that we lose sight of what’s actually going to benefit us.
Reflection prompts:
Are numbers/metrics overshadowing your actual desired experiences and outcomes in your decision-making?
Are you using numbers/metrics as a benchmark to determine your self-worth, the value of your efforts, or the legitimacy of your business?
Are numbers/metrics keeping you from simplifying or changing things up in your business?
I hope you found this useful and feel encouraged to detach from any numbers that have been dictating your decisions in a way that isn’t useful to you ✌️