But what are vanity metrics? Any metric that can be used to signal to others “Look at me! I’m more awesome than you” is a vanity metric. Some common ones are: number of Instagram followers, number of likes, how much money you make, how many books you read, how much you weigh, how many projects you’ve worked on etc..
These metrics are drugs. It is incredibly easy to get addicted to the dopamine rush of increasing your numbers. You’ve learnt that a number going up is always good. Right?
The problem is, increasing your vanity numbers feeds your ego. Maybe you’re not the most narcissistic person, but you still have an ego. And believe me, all your ego wants is to be better than someone else.
That’s why you will end up doing things that don’t matter just to feed the ego. Binge watch the latest Netflix series just to say you’ve finished in 2 days? Yep. Tell everyone how many countries you’ve visited even though they don’t care? Absolutely. Brag about how many hours you’ve worked without sleep? You betcha.
You know what’s a better metric? Humility.
Wait how do I measure that?
That’s the point. You can’t. So don’t play the metric game. Focus on your internal state. Focus on the peace you feel by not comparing yourself to anyone else. Focus on you.
Shun the metrics and be humble instead.
A New Source Code 