A.L.I.V.E. Bids™️: The Anti-Formula to Experience More by Measuring Less

"We focus too much on measuring things that cannot meaningfully be measured, nor should they be. When it comes to experiencing more of life, try measuring less of it."

Kyle J. Brost

In a world obsessed with quantifying your life, from the inches around your waist to the ranking of your performance, the square footage of your home to the hearts on your latest post; A.L.I.V.E. Bids invite you to experience the beauty of a life that shines not in numbers, but in moments.

ALIVE Bids offer this simple yet profound truth — it’s the pursuits that really count, not the metrics.

If this is such a simple and profound truth, why is the most recommended tool for growth, SMART goals, all about measurement?

To answer this question, it helps to understand the origin and purpose of SMART Goals, along with the nature of most research into them. While the SMART acronym has its origin in a 1981 business management article written by George T. Doran, the idea goes back to business consultant and author Peter F. Drucker’s “Management by Objectives”, found in his book “The Practice of Management”.

You see, SMART Goals and managing objectives, were made to increase productivity and efficiency in business, two things that cannot exist without measurement. They were not made for experiences, life, uniqueness, connection, and you, things that exist whether they are measured or not. Where productivity and efficiency are concepts that arise out of measurement, beauty and connection are undermined and suffocated by measurement.

A part of you instinctually knows that measuring and quantifying some experiences in life does more harm than good. Yet, you might be wondering, “What about all of the research showing the benefits of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive goals?”

Well, there are two things you should know. First, the majority of research into SMART goals has been conducted in businesses, examining employee productivity. Second, when it comes to satisfaction and fulfillment in your personal life (called “subjective wellbeing” in research literature), the evidence overwhelmingly shows it’s the pursuit of goals, not the achievement of them that matters. In other words, the value is in the experience, not the measurement.

This truth, which we experienced in our own lives, is the reason we created ALIVE Bids. And, as you’ll come to discover, there are a lot more reasons you’ll want to use ALIVE Bids.