Measurement = Motivation

By Pat Rigsby

As you know by now, I’m a lifelong baseball fan.

In fact, I’d be willing to say that my love for reading and any math skill I have were both developed through studying baseball.

See, baseball lends itself to measurement…so I’d learn all about the history of baseball, study the statistics on the back of baseball cards and really dive in to trying to become knowledgable about most every nuance of the game.

And I believe that baseball lends itself to this type of study more than most other things because the statistics.

The way that greatness is measured.

In fact, excluding a few hiccups along the way – what would have been measured as success in 1926 would still be a relevant measurement in many ways in 2016.

And those records serve as motivation for the players of each new era.

In fact, I’d tell you that measurement is one of the greatest motivators you can have…

…and the simplest & most effective measure is knowing your numbers.

I’ve mentioned a few numbers for years…revenue, profit, retention, leads, conversions and a few other typical numbers you should review and strive to improve on regularly.

But I keep track of other numbers too.

The number of vacations we take.

The number of books I read.

The ballgames we attend and the days I spend away are all measured.

Sure, I measure my bank account and the money I put away too…

…but I also try to measure the time I invest.

The 168 hours a week.

The 1440 minutes in a day.

See, money that is lost can be replaced…but once time is gone, it’s gone forever.

Now I won’t tell you that I’m perfect when it comes to measuring time…but it’s certainly something I try to focus on – and it’s something you should focus on too.

I might even suggest that you think about it this way:

Think of it as $1440 that you have to invest however you choose…but at Midnight it’s gone, never to return.

How would you spend it?

On your family?

Your friends?

Your goals?

Your passions?

Would you give some away to help others?

Think about how you’d measure the use of those 1440 minutes and use that as motivation.

In fact, I’d suspect that if you measure that number all of the other numbers you’ll measure will improve as a result.