Can A Number Become Self-Aware?

Numbers matter.

Every area of knowlege involves numbers and mathematics, even philosophy.

When you tune in, numbers both reveal and predict behaviour.

I am not a numbers guy, I’ve had to learn to love them. I love the unpredictable, the unknowable, the shocking. Yet, as I read Simon Singh’s glorious book Fermat’s Last Theorem, I fell in love with the “other world” rigour of numbers. They were definitely unpredictable, often unknowable and constantly surprising.

Wow.

Numbers provide a rock solid foundation upon which to build increasing complex exploration. They are as relevant to a teacher of Alexander's discovery (trying to reach new students) as they are relevant to SpaceX (trying to reach Mars).

What numbers does an AT teacher watch?

There are two kinds, the dream numbers and the reality numbers. In MBA talk, dream numbers are performance indicators (the ideal), whereas reality numbers are metrics (the truth) that show what is actually happening.

It sounds simple right? Because it is.

But I bet most of you reading don’t have them. Not really. I didn’t, not for years. I bumbled along on instinct and sheer bombastic determination. Being as loud as I am, that worked till BodyChance got to its first million in annual revenue, then it stopped working. It would have been a whole lot easier if I had started out with a few self-aware numbers.

At some point – if you’re smart – you’ll incorporate numbers into your thinking as a teacher of Alexander's discovery.

You’ll do this because you actually want to teach other people. You do this because you want real students, learning amazing things who pay you for the privilege of doing that…

How To Use Dream Numbers (Indexes)

How many new students would you like to teach this year?
Put a number on it.

How many weeks holiday do you want this year?
Put a number on it.

How much do you want to save this year?
Put a number on it.

The number is not there to rule you: you are there to rule the number. You project your Self into the number, then the number projects itself back at you: are you living your word? Is your talk and walk in harmony?

This is a number that has awareness of itself!

How does this relate to Alexander's discovery?

Before Alexander's discovery, most of us didn’t know when we were excessively manipulating our head to create downward pressure on our spine. Sure, we felt uncomfortable – even in pain – but we didn’t know what we were doing.

Today, many people still don’t know they are doing that to themselves. They are not even aware that they are not aware. Instead, they live in a world that says about physical discomfort: “This is normal.”

It’s not normal. It’s unnatural.

When you got your first significant experience of a naturally integrating head/spinal relationship – while doing some activity such as standing up from a chair – you gained what the MBAs love to call a Key Performance Indicator.

That experience was your dream number (KPI): it is integrative and supporting. What do you dream happening in your practice?

Put a number on it.

How To Use Reality Numbers (Metrics)

How do you track progression to your dream number? These are called your metrics:

How many new students came this week?
(Know the number)

How many weeks holiday have you had this year?
(Know the number)

How much have you saved this year?
(Know the number)

Now you have two sets of numbers: your dream and your reality. How do they compare? Are you on track? Are you falling away? What can you do about it?

Some people are haunted by numbers and shy away from them. I used to say I didn’t want to be “boxed in by numbers” – I wanted freedom. It’s not freedom – it’s delusion.

Metrics are the equivalent of recognition.

When Alexander first recognized that it was his head pulling back that tended to influence his gasping for air, he stumbled upon pattern recognition.

Metrics will inform you in the same way if you collect them – pattern recognition. Just as Alexander did with his mirrors, you metrics mirror back what was hiding in plain sight all the time.

Numbers give you an indisputable picture of YOUR reality. What is there to argue with? You got to set up the Index, and you decide which Metrics to track.

And when you compare the reality (Metrics) to your dream (Index) how are you doing?

Sorting out the ongoing relationship between your dreams and realities takes the same love, creativity and determination as succeeding in a long term relationship.

It’s not science. It’s not humanities. It’s creative art.

A CAVEAT

I am not a numbers guy. Someone out there with an MBA could demolish me I am sure. My street cred comes from my success, not from my abilities with numbers. I had to learn this stuff – or at least come to appreciate it – as anyone who has run a successful business for more than 10 years will tell you.

You need to know this stuff – and that’s what we do at ATSuccess. We help teachers make sense of their dreams and realities by putting you into a world full of mirrors; mirrors that project back to you what you put into them.

In August, we are offering 3 free webinars on these topics – use the form below to sign up now and stay in touch.