From our newsletter Outside the Lines

I love number jokes.

“Five out of four people are bad with fractions” is one of them.

So is “There are three types of people in the world: Those that can count… and those that can’t.”

I’ve just started working with someone to help me better understand the world of the internet - and one of the things he’s most interested in are “my numbers”.

As well as subscriber numbers, customer spend, and newsletter opening rates, it’s got me thinking about other number in my life.

Here are some of my favourite numbers - and some provocative questions to get you thinking about yours.

One + Two + Two + Two + Four

That’s one way to think of my family: one wife, two parents, two brothers, two sisters-in-law, four nieces and nephews.

(They’re on my mind, as I’ll be hanging out with them in Australia).

* Who’s your family? How do they nourish you? How do they not?
* Who’s consuming your time? To whom do you want to redirect it?

Five and Three-Quarters

The title of my next movie is The 5 3/4 Questions You’ve Been Avoiding. We’ll be releasing it in a couple of month’s time, assuming the Animation Gods are kind. Stay tuned!

* How many years left do you have? (If you’re in the United States, you can have a stab at figuring it out here.) What do you want to do in that time?
* What’s not quite finished? What do you need to get done so you can clear it away?

Six

The hexagon is one of the easiest forms to construct - a blend of circles and triangles. It’s also the shape that is the most efficient use of space and energy/materials. (Yes, that’s why bees construct their hives using the hexagon).

(I got this information from a fantastic book The Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe which looks at “sacred geometry” - and the power of the numbers one through ten).

* What’s your source of strength? What do you need in your life to be “stable”?
* Where do you feel safe? What’s your perfect environment to live and work?

Eleven

One of my favourite movies of all time is the heavy-metal music “mockumentary” This is Spinal Tap.

One of the many glorious pieces of dialogue involves a conversation between the not-so-bright lead guitarist, Nigel, and the documentary maker. It’s about an amplifier that goes “up to eleven”. I’ve discovered, in writing this article, that it’s actually impossible to convey how funny this is… so I’d encourage you to either:

* Watch an excerpt here
* Buy or rent the DVD and watch it for yourself

What needs an extra push? What do you want to “take up to 11″?

What makes you laugh? How can you get more of that in your life?