No Zero Days.
On one fateful day in the summer of 2020, I was feeling lost and needed some direction in how to spend my time. It was amidst the heart of the COVID Pandemic and I was still unemployed. At this time we had decided to start our own business but at that time it was in the very early stages and was more a set of ideas rather than a reality. The level of unknowns for my future were daunting. On top of this, even though I was relatively active, I had put on some extra weight largely because I was home a lot more and tend to enjoy food a little too much, especially when not feeling productive. To sum things up: I felt like crap. And what does one do when they feel like crap? In my case, I decided to have a browse on Reddit. If you haven't been on Reddit before, it is essentially a place where people gather and share their interests or ask questions on any topic you can think of. There can be valuable information but is largely a black hole of endless useless information. You can imagine it like going to the dump and trying to find items of value. While it is true that there are hidden gems, usually, you just find, well...garbage.
Reddit is like a garbage dump with mostly junk…however you may find things of interest like these nicely colored garbage cans. (Disclaimer: no, I did not find these at a dump)
That day on reddit was like any other, I think I was looking at dog pictures or something equally productive but somehow got directed to a post called "No Zero Days". The name peaked my interest. I knew I was having a lot of Zero days and was intrigued so I clicked the Reddit link. What I found was something that touched me and inspires me to this day. In this weeks blog, I will review some of the key concepts I learned from this post and hopefully help you to improve your own life.
The original Reddit post was created by a user named Ryan01 over 7 years ago:
If you have the time, I encourage you to take the time to read the original post. There are a few grammatical errors and a few explicit words used but is also a uniquely touching read. However, if you would prefer to stay here and keep reading my words I will do my best to summarize the post with my own thoughts.
To begin, Ryan01 describes that in his own life he had gone from struggle to being able to reach his potential by using a few simple life rules that he applied to his own life. What I appreciate here is that he credited his words of wisdom to others that had helped him become who he is. His level of modesty only gives further credit to his own level of integrity. With this being said, lets dive into the four rules to live by to living a better life.
Original picture created by Modified_Duck on Reddit. Nice work!
Rule Number 1: No Zero Days
The first, and probably the most important rule of the list is to live each day that is anything but zero. What does this mean you may ask? The idea here is that each and everyday, you make it your mission to do at least one thing that moves you in the direction of your goals, your missions or whatever things that you may want for your future. This could be any type of goals whether it be health, professional, interpersonal etc. Very often, when we are struggling, we tend to write off entire blocks of time doing nothing towards the things that are important for our growth. Before we know it, years and decades can slip by and we haven't moved forward. By following this rule, we are ALWAYS moving forward...we must look for something each day to improve. It doesn't matter how small the move can be as long as we take one small forward. You missed your workout today? Do one push-up. Didn't do the reading you were supposed to do? Read one page. The key here is that you are breaking the cycle of failing yourself and your goals. By doing this you are always moving forward and in time this adds up. The years and decades in the future following this rule will be much closer to your dreams.
Rule Number 2: Love the Three "You's"
There is past you, present you and future you. The idea of this rule is that you must learn to forgive your past self for your mistakes and appreciate the positive things you have done in the past. Many of us struggle to forgive our past but it is of vital importance to be able to grow for your future. Your present self is your opportunity to be kind to your future self. It is your present self where you want to apply your No Zero Days rule so that you are able to create the future you dream of. By being able to care for each of the "You's" you are able to build gratefulness and productivity by focusing on moving forward instead of getting stuck with the wrongs of past and present.
Rule Number 3: Forgive Yourself
This rule ties in with both rule number 1 and 2 and is key. If you cannot learn to forgive yourself, it can be very challenging to move forward. We may find ourselves living a life we do not want and it can be easy to begin a cycle of self-loathing. By forgiveness we can begin a cycle of change and it is through this we can move on. Simple and to the point.
Rule Number 4: Exercise and Books
I really like this final rule: You must exercise your body and mind. First we must move our body. This may be done through the gym, by playing a sport, walking the dog etc. At the end of the day, we must exercise to be our best self. Second, we must also exercises our mind to be able to grow our perspective and be able to be successful in the previous 3 rules. For a simple example, reading this blog may have opened your eyes to a whole different way of viewing your life. The more we read the more wisdom we add to our own life and perspective. By exercising our body and mind we are primed to be able to complete the first 3 rules.
To summarize, the four Rules of Life help to direct your life in a forward trajectory. In life, doing nothing is often the same as moving backwards. I encourage you to try these rules whenever you can and I can guarantee you will be closer to the life you dream of. Remember: No Zero Days.
