Abraham Lincoln was once a baby.
Before he chopped wood, proclaimed emancipation, addressed Gettysburg, and became the face on the five-dollar bill, Lincoln crapped himself and couldn’t hold his own head up. Same goes for Joan of Arc. Michael Jordan and Isaac Newton. Maybe even your parents. (Although, as you’ve long suspected, it’s still possible your parents were hatched from eggs.)
We all start at zero in that way. Not just at birth, but every time we face something new. Every skill we learn, every relationship we build, every challenge we face. Everyone who’s ever been good at anything started exactly where you may be right now: at zero.
Maybe you grew up amid the nothing of Bumfuck, Earth. In a flavorless monoculture. Never had the time, resources, encouragement, or privilege to access diverse ideas. Didn’t have folks who could hand you an emotional toolkit or service manual for the soul. Maybe you grew up hearing (and believing) that reading books was a waste of time, a hobby for dorks and pussies.
But maybe you were also blessed with common sense. And at some point, you realized that staying immature and ignorant, that staying at zero emotionally and spiritually, is for the spineless.
Maybe you’re reading this because you feel like you’re at zero in some areas of your life.
Give yourself some grace if you’re at zero. It’s the perfect place to start.
“The thought came to Charley then that if you stayed one way long enough, that was the way you were.”
~Pete Dexter, Deadwood (Book)
“He knew what had to be done. It is not always the same as knowing what to do.”
~Dan Simmons, Hyperion (Book)
