What You Measure Matters

When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.

Goodhart’s Law

I don’t believe wanting to make money is a bad thing. In the right social and economic environment, money can an excellent indicator for how much value you’ve created for other people.

At the end of the day, money is just a means. It’s a way to get what you really want.

For many entrepreneurs, that’s freedom and fulfillment. 

Which are great aims. Creating a lot of value for other people and then capturing some of that value in revenue can be one of the most meaningful ways to create a living.

The problem comes when money (a measure) becomes the goal itself. Then it’s no longer useful as a metric.

When money becomes the end itself, that’s when entrepreneurs can get sucked into using shortcuts, scammy tactics and settling for win-lose situations.

Because if you’re optimizing for the most money possible, you’ll sacrifice things like freedom (working too much). Or fulfillment (trying to take all the money possible, even if it means you don’t give a fair exchange of value).

Be careful what you measure and what your target is.

Is your goal really to have all the money you possibly can?

Or do you really want freedom and fulfillment? And money is just a way to achieve that.

Make sure you’re clear on what matters. And make sure what you measure doesn’t become the target.