Challenge the Goal Setting Trap and Embrace Doing Your Best Without Numbers

Businesses are hardwired to chase numbers: sales up 14%, grow to 100 employees, hit that nine-digit revenue. But if you pause and ask where these numbers come from, you’ll often get blank stares or vague stories. The truth: most goals are made up. They sound important but rarely come with real meaning. Instead, they create constant stress, as every quarter a new, even bigger mountain appears.

People get stuck in the chase. The cycle never ends: hit one target, set another, start feeling behind again. What started as a fun challenge becomes a treadmill—one where nobody stops running. Before long, all the actual joy of building something good is replaced by anxiety, shortcuts, and sometimes even moral compromises—anything not to ‘fail’ at the made-up number.

What if you swapped gritted-teeth ambition for a quiet confidence in your daily work? Some professionals try this and find they’re more relaxed, more ethical, and accomplish more meaningful change because they’re not distracted by artificial pressure. A focus on doing the best possible job, day in and day out, replaces the stress of forever chasing someone else’s bar.

Psychology backs this up: Intrinsic motivation—working for the sake of quality, impact, or enjoyment—is stronger and more resilient than extrinsic rewards like numbers or badges. Letting go of arbitrary metrics fosters greater creativity and lasting satisfaction.

To shift away from the numbers game, start by reviewing every numeric target or quota you currently chase and ask—and really ask—if it’s leading to improvement or just stress. Set a different kind of benchmark, one based on quality or service that speaks to you, and make it visible every day. With each check-in, focus on what value you brought, not whether you hit some invented metric, and be willing to let some things go. It can be liberating—try it with your next project.