By Vanessa Canever of Potenciologia
“Deixa a vida me levar, vida leva eu” (“Let life take me, life takes me”) is a famous line from a Brazilian popular song by Zeca Pagodinho, which talks about going with the flow of life without too many worries, letting things simply happen. It’s a beautiful — and sometimes necessary — way of facing the world. But the question remains: can we live like this all the time? Or do we need, at some point, to grab the steering wheel and make conscious choices?
That’s the central point of this article: understanding why measuring matters, both in personal and professional life, and how metrics in companies help create healthier, more productive, and more human environments.
Why measure?
First of all, let’s bust a myth: measuring doesn’t mean controlling everything or becoming a slave to spreadsheets and charts. Measuring is about paying attention, stepping out of autopilot, and being curious about how we are living, working, and relating.
In our personal lives, when we notice we’re more tired, more distracted, or less joyful, we are, in a way, already measuring. When we realize that better sleep improves our mood, or that a walk in nature clears our thoughts, we’re using internal, intuitive metrics to adjust our routines.
In our careers, measuring means asking ourselves: what am I doing with my time and energy? Am I working with purpose, using my strengths, or am I just on autopilot, working only to pay the bills? Measuring here isn’t about chasing perfection, but taking an honest inventory: how aligned is my career with my values, my talents, my dreams?
At work and in companies, measuring goes beyond individual performance. It’s about understanding collective impact. It’s recognizing that quantity doesn’t equal quality, and doing more doesn’t always mean doing better. This is where organizational metrics come in: alongside tools like the NPS (Net Promoter Score), which assess employee and customer experience, there are indicators focused on results — goals, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), productivity indexes, innovation, and efficiency. These metrics help companies avoid navigating blindly, align purpose with results, and grow without losing their soul.
In short, measuring matters because it helps us live with more intention. It’s not about controlling life, but about choosing it.
In personal life: small steps, big changes
Many people associate personal metrics with things like diet, exercise, productivity. But measuring goes beyond that. It’s about noticing how much time we’re dedicating to what truly matters. Are we setting aside time for ourselves? For those we love? For learning, resting, dreaming?
Sometimes, a simple record brings clarity. It might be jotting down how many nights a week we have dinner with family, how often we practice a beloved hobby, how many meaningful conversations we’ve had with friends. Not to become a burden — but to nurture what nourishes us.
Personal metrics also help us care for our mental health. Noticing mood patterns, energy cycles, and stress moments allows us to prevent burnout before the body or mind demands a heavy price. And perhaps most importantly: measuring gives us permission to celebrate progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Personal metrics don’t have to be complex. A gratitude journal, a weekly reflection, tracking mood throughout the day — all of this counts. When we measure, we recognize the cycles: what recharges us, what drains us, what connects us to who we truly are.
In careers: beyond performance
In our careers, measuring helps us ask questions that go beyond our résumés. Am I growing in areas that matter to me? Am I developing skills that inspire me? Am I in a place that challenges and nourishes me?
Metrics here can include concrete milestones, like completed projects, acquired learnings, and built connections. But they also need to include subjective aspects: satisfaction, engagement, and sense of purpose. After all, working just for the paycheck is like traveling without a destination — we may arrive somewhere, but we may not know where or why.
At work: clarity and purpose
In professional environments, metrics bring clarity about where we are and where we want to go. They help align expectations, evaluate results, and identify what’s worth keeping and what needs to change.
But here’s an essential point: well-used metrics illuminate, they don’t suffocate. A company that only measures performance by task count or hours worked risks losing sight of what truly matters: creativity, learning, collaboration, and well-being.
That’s why good workplace metrics include quality indicators, satisfaction levels, alignment with purpose. And the most interesting part: measuring doesn’t have to come only from the top. Teams can create their own ways of tracking, combining personal and collective goals that make sense in their daily lives.
In companies: listening, learning, transforming
Companies that measure only financial results risk losing what makes them human. That’s why, alongside goals and OKRs, come metrics on climate, culture, and engagement. In organizations, measuring is a powerful way of listening.
External NPS, for example, measures how willing customers are to recommend a company or product. It doesn’t just capture momentary satisfaction, but the trust built over time.
Internal NPS does something even more precious: it measures how people inside the company feel. It asks whether employees would recommend the workplace, whether they feel proud, and whether they perceive meaning in what they do. This kind of metric helps detect blind spots in the culture, reveal where the atmosphere is heavy, and highlight what inspires.
Beyond NPS, many companies run surveys on climate, engagement, diversity, inclusion, and mental health. But the big secret isn’t just measuring — it’s acting on the results. A survey that produces a report but no action only creates frustration. A survey that leads to genuine listening, real adjustments, and visible improvements becomes a tool for cultural transformation.
And here’s a reminder: measuring without acting creates frustration. The true power of metrics lies in using them as a compass to adjust course, strengthen what’s working, and transform what needs care.
Measuring to live better
In the end, measuring invites us to live with more awareness. Not to become obsessed with metrics, but to remember that life is made of choices — and that, often without realizing it, we’re choosing not to choose.
The invitation here isn’t to trade “let life take me” for a life full of goals. It’s to find our own way of navigating: knowing when it’s time to flow, when it’s time to plan, and when it’s time to act. Knowing we’re caring for what matters, and not just drifting through the days.
Measuring, at heart, is a practice of care. Care for ourselves, for others, for our work, for the projects we want to leave in the world. It’s a way of honoring who we are and who we can become.
Wrapping up: more choice, less chance
In the end, the question isn’t whether we should measure or not. The question is: what’s worth measuring? What do we want to cultivate, nurture, and transform? What brings us closer to who we are and to what we want to build in the world?
So here’s the invitation:
What personal metrics do you want to pay more attention to?
In your career, what deserves to be measured — and celebrated?
And in your company, what could be monitored with more presence and less bureaucracy?
Because ultimately, life isn’t just about letting go or controlling everything — it’s about making choices that allow us to follow the journey with meaning and to enjoy the view along the way.
Creator of Potentiology and Potentiologist Training. Master’s Degree in Education. Postgraduate in people management, business pedagogy, group dynamics, and distance learning. Specialist in Emotional Intelligence and agile methods. Works with human potential and the development of people so that they can achieve better results, in the shortest possible time, and in a light way.
