Even though I find myself in a career that decidedly leans more towards the “arts and creativity” end of the spectrum, numbers have always played a very important role in my life. I have a habit of wanting to quantify just about everything. There’s a certain comfort in knowing that you can ascribe specific numbers to specific things. They provide clarity in a world filled with ambiguities.
And perhaps that’s why I was drawn to this post by Amber Strocel yesterday. She decided to summarize so many aspects of her life — her “obsession” with poetry, her quest to become a math teacher, her love of tea — in a numerical fashion. So, I thought I’d take a similar look at my life too, summarizing some of my journey with some numbers of my own.
- Years I’ve been writing on the web: 17
- Years I’ve been a full-time professional writer: 10
- Books I’ve authored (not including ghostwriting): 2
- Cars I’ve owned: 3
- Beyond the Rhetoric blog posts I’ve written: 2,930
- Number of Pomodoros I’ve tracked this month: 95
- Types of ways to make coffee in my house right now: 5
- Number of coffees consumed yesterday: 2
- Times I’ve attended CES in Las Vegas: 8
- Times I’ve attended Computex Taipei: 4
- Days since becoming a dad: 192
- Sakura photos posted to Instagram this spring: 3
- Food pictures posted to Instagram this month: 10
- Number of smartphones on my desk right now: 5
- Total Words with Friends games completed: 1,140
- Unique words played in WWF: 5,820
- Diapers changed: Lost count.
Looking at your own life, are there any numbers in particular that stick out for you? Perhaps you’re counting down the days toward a special event or you’re counting up the dollars you’re saving for a big purchase?
I think I am a similar person.
I’m in the early stages of business and things are challenging. The numbers that keep running through my head are all about what it takes to pay the bills.
I’ve had the good fortune of building up a decent nest egg, so the day-to-day worries of paying the bills aren’t as much of a concern for me as much as maintaining and growing the business for the long run.