Wealthy people don’t count the money in their bank accounts. They know they are wealthy — because they never worry about how much money they have.
People who are self-confident in themselves don’t count the number of social media followers they have.
Artists/Creators who make great art don’t count how many shows, books, or pieces they’ve created— they rely on their own intuition and self-worth.
An expert photographer will not let the number of “likes” they get on social media determine whether a photograph is good or not. Rather, they consult their own conscience and the opinion of their friends and colleagues who they trust.
What if you lived a life where you didn’t need to count, or keep score?
Imagine if you didn’t count the number of times you held your partner? That you didn’t “keep score” — and feel resentful that your partner didn’t help you as many times you helped them?
What if you didn’t keep count in terms of the favors you did for friends?
What if you didn’t count how many likes/followers you had on social media?
What if you didn’t count the 0’s in your bank account?
What if you didn’t count the amount of stuff that you owned?
What if you didn’t count the number of accomplishments, awards, or degrees you achieved?
We Love To Count
We have made counting the essence of society, economics, and life.
In the past, men would count their wealth by the number of cattle they owned(the ancient Sanskrit word for war actually means to get more cattle), and how many wives they married(a glance through the Old Testament will show you that).
Today, we value our self-worth by how much money we earn, how much property we own, and how many followers we have.
What if we lived a life in which we didn’t count anymore?
I would think we would have less stress, anxiety, and frustration in life. We would be more content with what we already owned, instead of desiring what was outside of us.
We would work harder in our creative work — because we wouldn’t worry about the amount of external affirmation we receive.
Explore this: Don’t Count for a Month
Give this a go for just a month and see what happens.
- Don’t count the number of likes you get on your photos
- Don’t count the number of followers you have on social media
- Don’t count your page views to your website or blog
- Don’t count the number of times you did someone a favor (or the number of times someone has wronged you)
- Don’t track your steps, weight, or how much you can bench-press
- Don’t count the 0’s in your bank account
- Don’t count the number of things you finished on your todo list
- Don’t count the number of unanswered emails in your inbox
Now that you are on a roll, what else could you not count in your life, to give you more serenity, happiness, and self-satisfaction?
Maybe it’s time to value your self-worth and your own opinion of yourself rather than looking at external numbers.
I think therein lies the way to serenity.