__Raise your hand if you hate seeing these things go down?__ * Net worth * Sleep score * Profit margins * Follower count * Gross domestic product * Number of hairs on your head Here’s some bad news, __they don’t always go up.__ ## New to RadReads? Hi, I’m Khe Hy. Nearly a decade ago [I quit my 7-figure job on Wall Street]() to become a writer. I explore topics like [money](), [happiness](), [ambition](), [relationships](), [productivity]() and [more](). I also host [The Examined Life Podcast]() where I explore life’s thorniest questions with a different guest each week. My newsletter is the best way to experience my work. Sign up here: ## Why does the number always have to go up? Our cultural programing reinforces this thinking. We’ve created systems that primarily value __upward metrics.__ Therefore success is often defined __exclusively__ by __growth__ and __improvement__. > _“Number go up.”_ But what goes up, __must come down__ , right? ## __Avoiding stagnation and decline__ For starters, [stagnation and decline]() are part of our natural cycle. (After all, your house may always go up – but one day you will die and no longer care!) Yet we __[pathologize these downward periods.]()__ And we [view them as failures]() rather than a healthy mode of life. Why is UP the only direction that counts? ## Do metrics lead to misery? I recently ditched my Apple Watch. I would sleep like a baby. But it told me my REMS sucked. Who should I believe? If really you zoom out, __[the value of your home]()__ is just some arbitrary number. Yes, it has real-world consequences. And as that number moves it can __impact your actions.__ __But that number cannot change who you are.__ ## Are you a high-earner going through a career transition? Find purpose, navigate money scarcity and reimagine ambition with our Group Coaching program. [Apply today]()