Two emails landed in inboxes recently - one from a minimalist philosopher, the other from an entrepreneurial finance expert. On the surface, they couldn't be more different: one references a Super Bowl ad and ancient Greek philosophy, the other discusses bank balances and business identity.
Yet they're saying the exact same thing.
The Core Similarity: Mistaking Measurement for Meaning
Both Joshua Fields Millburn and Mike Michalowicz have identified a fundamental trap of modern life: we've confused what we can count with what actually counts.
Millburn calls it "pleonexia"—the Greek concept of greed for countable things. Michalowicz describes it as letting numbers become judgment rather than information. Different vocabulary, identical insight.
The pattern is everywhere:
- Millburn: "More followers, less intimacy. More content, less contentment."
- Michalowicz: "When the numbers were strong, I felt capable. When they dipped, I felt…smaller."
Both are describing the same psychological handcuff: allowing measurable proxies to replace what they actually represent.
The Seduction of the Scoreboard
Why do we fall for this? Both writers point to the same answer: clarity.
Numbers are seductive because they're unambiguous. Millburn notes that "the measurable is seductive because it's clear." Michalowicz describes the emotional relief of "highs" and shame of "lows"—the scoreboard gives us immediate feedback on whether we're "winning."
But here's the shared warning: metrics make poor masters.
The moment we optimize for what can be measured, we begin sacrificing what actually matters. Millburn: "When we mistake the countable for the valuable, we sacrifice what matters most for what merely registers." Michalowicz: "I wasn't using money as information. I was using it as judgment."
The Identity Trap
Both emails reveal how metrics colonize our sense of self:
- Millburn describes how measurement systems cause us to chase proxies—"We don't chase money; we chase what money represents. We don't chase followers; we chase belonging."
- Michalowicz reveals the emotional cost: "I had tied my identity to income...every number feels personal."
This is the real danger. When numbers become identity markers rather than tools, we've handed over our self-worth to a spreadsheet. Our inner state becomes tethered to external fluctuations we can't fully control.
The Shared Solution: Questions Over Answers
Remarkably, both writers offer nearly identical antidotes:
Millburn's implicit question: "What am I actually chasing beneath this number?"
Michalowicz's explicit question: "What is this telling me, not what is this saying about me?"
Both are practicing the same cognitive move: creating separation between measurement and meaning. Numbers become useful again when we stop letting them define us and start letting them inform us.
Michalowicz calls this shift "caring cleaner"—not caring less, but caring with clarity and boundaries. Millburn describes it as recognizing that "metrics are tools" rather than masters.
Why This Matters Now
We live in what Millburn calls "a culture optimized for pleonexia." Every platform, every app, every quarterly report reinforces the same message: if it can't be measured, it doesn't matter.
But both emails push back on this cultural assumption with an older wisdom:
- Jonathan Swift (via Michalowicz): "A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart."
- The Greeks (via Millburn): The most important things—love, peace, joy—shrink under the weight of comparison.
The Unmeasurable Life
Try this thought experiment from Millburn: "How many ounces of forgiveness will you extend today? How many international units of delight will you experience? What's the market value of sitting quietly with someone you love?"
The absurdity of these questions reveals the truth: the things that give life its texture cannot be counted.
And yet we've created systems that ignore everything that can't fit in a cell on a spreadsheet.
Moving Forward
Both writers acknowledge that numbers aren't the enemy. Budgets matter. Health metrics matter. Revenue matters. The problem isn't measurement—it's subordination.
The way out isn't to ignore the numbers. It's to change our relationship with them.
Next time you look at a metric—any metric—pause and ask:
- What is this number actually telling me? (Information)
- What am I making it mean about me? (Identity)
- What unmeasurable thing does this number represent? (Deeper value)
That pause creates freedom. It transforms shame into curiosity. It converts data back into a tool you use rather than a tyrant you serve.
The Final Insight
Two different people, two different contexts, one shared truth: A life spent chasing numbers may add up. It just might not amount to much.
The most meaningful things in life—connection, purpose, peace, presence—don't register on any dashboard. They can't be optimized or A/B tested. They don't trend or go viral.
But they're what we'll remember when the numbers are long forgotten.
Perhaps that Super Bowl ad got it right after all: There's more to life than more.
The question is whether we're brave enough to live like we believe it.