Embracing the Zero—Where Every Great Achiever Starts
The fear of starting keeps more people stuck than actual failure ever does
I have been in deep thought about this one—hence, you didn’t hear from me over the past 2 weeks. I recognize that I’ve been inconsistent. Let me tell you why.
Every year, I make a few promises to myself. 2024 was especially about doing hard things—things that scare me a little, make me nervous, of which I know that the upside would be very high.
Started my newsletter, learnt newer things at work, read different kinds of books, ran a few long distance races.
This year is about embracing the zero.
I’m not the creator of this concept. I heard about it in Nick Bare’s podcast where he discusses marathon prep with his coach Jeff Cunningham. It gave me words to describe what I decided this year was going to be about.
Setback or possibility?
If your curious mind hasn’t yet arrived at a definition, here’s one—
Embracing the zero means seeing the start not as a setback, but as pure possibility. It’s understanding that the hardest part isn’t doing the work, it is letting yourself be a beginner.
Notice how I said “letting yourself be a beginner.“ Not just being one, but letting yourself be one. I believe there are 2 hurdles to this:
Fear—the invisible barrier
Ego—the thing that keeps you stuck
I’ll keep it short. It will be better if you gave it a deeper thought.
Fear
“I don’t want to look stupid“
“What if I fail?“
“I don’t know what I’m doing“
Sound familiar? That’s fear talking.
Not fear of the work, but fear of being bad at it. Fear of judgement. Fear of proving to yourself that you’re not as good as you hoped.
So you wait. Avoid starting. Convince yourself the timing isn’t right. But the truth? It’s never the right time. You just have to begin.
Ego
“I should be better than this“
“I don’t want to look like a beginner“
“This feels embarrassing“
That’s ego talking now.
Ego wants you to stay where you’re comfortable. It tells you that struggling means you’re not good enough. That if you can’t be great immediately, it’s not worth trying.
But ego is a liar. The best in the world were terrible at first. They just didn’t let it stop them.
Moving forward—the only way out
One of my favorite podcasters, Chris Williamson, speaks about all the things that are not doing the thing. Linking the post below and a small screenshot.
The only way out of your zone of fear or ego is action, the only way out is doing the thing.
You can think about starting, plan for it, wait until you feel ready—but none of it matters until you actually take action.
The work won’t get easier before you begin. The fear won’t disappear on its own. But, I can bet you that you will be proud of yourself for starting.
https://x.com/ChrisWillx/status/1664302375656357888
A little bit about adaptations
Have you ever gone to the gym consistently? Or practiced for a long distance race? If you haven’t, here’s what the prep phase looks like—
You start running on Day 1. At first, your body fights back. Your lungs burn, your legs feel heavy, your muscles cramp up every 200m. It feels impossible.
But then, something happens. You keep showing up. Your muscles adapt. Your lungs get stronger. The distance that once felt unbearable starts to feel routine.
That’s how progress works. Your mind works the same way. The more you embrace discomfort, the more resilient you become. The struggle never fully disappears—but you get better at carrying it.
Let’s start with 3 simple things
➔ Show up, even when it’s uncomfortable. Start small, stay consistent, and let progress build over time
➔ Detach from outcomes. Don’t chase perfection—focus on learning, adapting, and getting better
➔ Track small wins. Progress feels slow until you look back and see how far you’ve come—write it down, measure it, and keep going
Stop overthinking the start. Pick something, commit, and embrace the zero. The rest will take care of itself.
I’d love to hear your story. It might just inspire someone looking to start in the same domain. What are you committing to going forward?