Storytime: The Day I Became the Zero

Ever have one of those days where everything you touch turns to chaos? Yeah, that was me one day. I showed up five minutes late to a meeting I was supposed to lead. No coffee, no breakfast, running on fumes. I nodded along like I was listening, but my brain was somewhere between my inbox and my to-do list. Then came the follow-up emails—sent to the wrong people, with the wrong attachments, and the absolute wrong tone.

Zero experience unlocked.

That’s when it hit me. I was completely overextended, running way past the law of diminishing returns. My brain was fried, my focus was gone, and I had officially turned into the person I always coach others not to be.

What I should have done? Apply the HALT principle, of course!

🔹 H – Hungry. (No wonder my patience was thin.)

🔹 A – Angry. (At myself, mostly.)

🔹 L – Late. (Already starting on the wrong foot.)

🔹 T – Tired. (Decision-making at negative capacity.)

The HALT principle exists for a reason—because nothing good comes from trying to push through when you’re running on empty.

Be Kind to Yourself First

We all want to show up as the hero of the moment, but the truth is, you can’t pour from an empty cup. If you don’t pause and reset, the world will do it for you—in the form of mistakes, missteps, and regret-filled emails.

It’s easy to be hard on ourselves, to push through exhaustion, to act like we’re fine when we’re running on fumes. But the most human thing we can do is recognize our own limits. When you're past that limit, trying to be the hero, that's when you're ultimately destined to be the zero....sorry, but it's true.

So give yourself grace. Take the break. Eat the meal. Get the sleep. Because when you take care of you, you show up better for everyone else.

And that? That’s how you go from Zero to Hero.

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For months, I’ve been deep in a project—something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but hesitated to start. It wasn’t just about finding the time; it was about facing the fear. The fear that it would take too long. The fear that the effort might not be worth it. The fear that, after all was said and done, it wouldn’t be well received.

But here’s the thing—I had to pull myself up by my bootstraps and push through the hesitation. I realized that fear is just a mountain we build in front of ourselves—False Expectations Appearing Real. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of wasted time and energy. All of it is just the mind’s way of keeping us in our comfort zone.

So I flipped the script. I worked backwards.

I defined the finish line—what success would look like. Then, I mapped out the critical milestones and calculated how much time I needed to dedicate each day to hit my target. The deadline? Sunday, February 16th. That was the day I committed to finishing. From there, it became a daily practice of showing up, putting in the work, and doing the reps. No overthinking—just execution.

And here’s where the magic happened: once I got into the rhythm, I found myself loving the work. The more I did, the more meaningful it became. Because I wasn’t just focused on the ‘how long’ or ‘how hard’—I was reconnecting with my ‘why.’

That’s the real breakthrough. We don’t move forward by obsessing over the size of the mountain. We move forward by taking the first step, and then another, and another. Before you know it, you’re standing at the top, looking down at the challenge you once feared.

The Key? Plan It, Then DIA: Do It Anyway.

-Start before you’re ready. You’ll never feel fully ready, so stop waiting.

-Push yourself daily. Small, consistent actions will get you there.

-Visualize the finish line. See it. Plan for it. Work towards it.

Fear doesn’t get to decide whether you accomplish something—you do. The best way to overcome resistance is to get it done anyway. And trust me, there’s no better high than standing on top of that mountain instead of staring at it from the bottom.