Our society prides itself on exactness. We love the order that numbers create. We enjoy quantifying things and using those observations to make conclusions about one another. The danger in using numbers to label other people is that humans are more than a set of arbitrary numbers. We are not defined by a set of numbers.

1. GPA

If your schools were anything like mine, everyone seems to be obsessed with knowing everyone else’s test scores and grade point averages. If you had a 4.0 you were instantly written off as “too smart”, but if you were getting anything lower than C’s you were clearly doing something wrong. But remember, you’re more than a grade.

2. Weight

Our society is obsessed with body image and more specifically reaching an “perfect body weight”. “Too thin” and they assume you have an eating disorder. “Too big”, they label your as unhealthy and overweight. But remember, you’re more than the reading on a scale.

3. Number of significant others.

Whether you’ve been on 100 dates or you’ve been on 0, you’re worth is not tied up in the number of people we’ve been with. We are quick to label each other based on our surface knowledge of what we know about their past relationships. But remember, we are not defined by our past, present, or future relationships.

4. Salary

We are so to judge one another based on the dollar amount on our paychecks. We find ourselves so curious about what our friends and coworkers make that begin to see their value as a dollar sign. But remember, we are so much more than the dollars in our bank account.

5. Age

We spend our lives slowly progressing toward the next stage in life. When we’re ten, we can’t wait to become a teenager. On our 16th birthday, we await the day we turn 18. You are never “too young” or “too old” to pursue what your love. But remember, age is but a number and it doesn’t define who you are.

These five numbers tell only a small story of who we are. Our identity is not wrapped up in a set of numbers or expectations. Who we are is not defined by any test score, scale reading, past relationship, paycheck, or years of life experience. You are more than a number.