Numbers are a way of life in the business world and if you think about it, your personal life as well.
Business measure their successes by numbers, be it a production number, profit number, number of jobs needed and employees.
And numbers are based on historical data, and I can say after all my years in UPS management, the bar has always been raised. That's not to say the numbers were attainable, but I always took the position if I made improvements from the previous year, to run a more effective operation or increase customer satisfaction, then I could explain my numbers.
I had seen UPS management lose their jobs over numbers manipulation, and that was a choice made by that management person. By the same token, I have seen hourly people as well lose their jobs by inflating numbers.
In your personal life, you may use numbers to plan your family, how manage a budget, how many pets you can afford, how many cars are needed, how much to save for retirement, and so on.
Just my thoughts on the numbers in our lives at work and home.