The use of the term “Zero Days” has been used in reference to mental, spiritual or physical health. The context here is to allow no day to go by in which we make zero effort or progress, no matter how small, toward established personal goals. The point here is to take a step – any step – toward what you want. Every day is a day to grow, with no days off … no “zero days” allowed.
Let’s turn “zero days” upside down! I’d like to reframe the concept by reminding you of what Peter Drucker once said, “We spend a lot of time teaching people what to do. We don’t spend nearly enough time teaching them what to stop doing.” Think about this phrase for a moment … let it sink in … and consider the following:
- My friend Marshall Goldsmith has a list of 21 ineffective habits that others want us to give up when interacting with them
- My daughter Natalie Peterson, an exercise physiologist, has an equally robust list of habits to give up in search of real stamina in your life
- You and I … every one of us … can name 3 destructive habits that we need to give up. Whether the habits are interpersonal, nutritional, parental or accidental – it doesn’t matter. We know what they are.
So when it comes to behavioral change, don’t go for a total makeover. Don’t even think about simultaneously eliminating three habits that you need to stop engaging in. Think instead of a “zero day” in reference to a single destructive personal habit … think just one day in which you drop zero expletives … one day in which you consume zero unclean calories … one day in which you indulge in zero alcoholic beverages … one day in which you watch zero minutes of television … one day in which you raise your voice in anger to zero family members. Let’s do something different (we can’t help but get better):
- Pick your top 3 – write down your “zero days” habit targets (no more than 3)
- Make tomorrow a “zero day” – remove just one destructive habit, just for one day
- Tell someone – don’t keep it a secret, go out and recruit a fellow “zero days” traveler.
If you want a better world, you go first. Get in a few “zero days” as a catalyst to a new you.
-Don Brown
don@donbrown.org
Don Brown dedicates his career to ‘helping people with people’ in leadership, sales and customer service. Bilingual and experienced at the executive and line-level alike, you see the results of his work across dozens of industries, including brewing, automotive, airline, banking and medical equipment.
Speaking, writing, coaching and selling to the best – Ford Motor Company, Anheuser-Busch, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Jaguar Cars, Hilton Hotels and many, many more – Don takes great pride in long-standing customer relationships (some running well over twenty years).
