MAY 12, 2020
Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.
-Albert Einstein
Often in life, we fail to value the things we should be valuing and we don’t value what counts. Why is that? Well, the simplest answer to why we do so is that we don’t understand and reflect on what we need to value in the present. Often, we limit our limitless mind to value only people or things without realizing or questioning the thing we are giving value to… Well, all it takes for one to value what matters is realizing that we don’t need to value only materialistic things…
A beautiful saying by Albert Einstein is, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” What one implies from this saying is – the things that truly count cannot be bound to the valuation and standardization of the material world. And the things one can measure and count in the material world often don’t hold value in our lives and in our purpose. A question that will rise in many people’s mind is, “Well, there are many things that we can count and they value as well, so how is this right?” Yes, there are many things that can be counted that value – like our grades, family members, children, friends etc.; but we need to understand how they are valuable to us.
Let’s go with the grades first – you get 99% as the average score at the end of the year. Well, they will be valued by you and other people as it will reflect a positive image about you. But was it really the grades that still count and are valued in your life? The answer is NO! The grades do affect your professional life and are considered a great achievement, but you can’t be standing in the spotlight of your achievement for your whole life as it will rob you from achieving something else. So, the grades are not something you value, you value the knowledge you gained in those hours you spent studying for the exams and that resulted in this great achievement. Your grades can be erased easily in a computer and can be removed from the paper they were printed on but the knowledge you gained can never be measured or removed in the materialistic way your grades can be. The company for sure takes your grades into consideration when you join it, but what it mainly looks for is the knowledge you have that you can contribute to the company and help it improve… your knowledge can’t be counted in numbers!
When you think of your friends, family members and children, you don’t just value them as one entity. You value the experiences you have with them, you value their beauty not only physically but also emotionally, you value their trust, openness and understanding, you value the light they bring in your world and you value the happiness you feel when they are around. You just don’t value them as a thing – you value them as company and their presence makes you feel good. Even when they are gone, your value for them in your life doesn’t disappear because your value was not just for the physical and material existence of that person; your value was for what you felt about them and what they made you feel like and your experiences with them. Even after they are physically gone and can’t be counted, you value the feelings and experiences with them that make you love and feel affectionate towards them… your experiences and emotions regarding a person can’t be counted in numbers as well!
But we still regret not valuing the things that truly counted, but valuing the things that didn’t really count. Well, to understand what counts and what doesn’t, we simply need to understand the things we have currently. You need to see if the things you do and have are in alignment with your goals or not. If you like watching a series or you like reading a novel series, but your goal is to make a software that helps people adjust recipes according to their availability of ingredients and get the exact quantity they will need and you are saying that you are not getting enough time to work on the software, then you need to simply analyze your situation. The book will be on the bookshelf forever until it is removed or destroyed and the web series will be on the app till the time the contract or the app exists. But this opportunity might or might not be around forever. Well then, the logical answer is if you are passionate towards your goal, then you need to drop the book for some time and stop watching the web-series and start sitting in front of your laptop and work on the software. People often blame losing great opportunities on others or the circumstances without realizing that they were the ones who had the choice to value their goals instead of other things they put the blame on. Remember, in your quest for fulfilment and achievement, do value your goals, but don’t forget other things that are of value like your health, your personal growth, your experiences with family and friends and your own happiness…
Now, you won’t regret valuing what didn’t count, because now you know how you can understand what is presently important and start aligning your actions with your goals. Once you understand how to value what’s important, you will be able to achieve your goals with personal fulfilment and happiness and great experiences without the regret of valuing the wrong thing at the right time…