Adding zeros

Starting something new, for me, has always meant being comfortable with the number zero.

Zero new subscribers to the mailing list.

Zero new followers.

Zero retweets.

Zero sales.

The first zero you get is expected. The second zero feels wrong. And the tenth you get is bad news. You will get a zero that you categorize as “the worst”.

But when you accumulate enough zeros, you realize that you’ve got way more than merely a series of failures.

Maybe you accumulated a series of articles that you can repurpose. Maybe you sharpened your opinions. Maybe you developed your sense of taste.

You developed a habit. You created a new muscle.

These are gains you can resell.

It’s dangerous to track the zeros you add to the end of your paycheck. They won’t accumulate that fast.

But continue tracking how often you ship, and the zeros will take care of themselves.