#1249 What’s Your 0?

Since COVID-19 rolled into town and decided to stay (and then all of our other cultural issues took on an even greater degree of intensity), I started using online news sources to keep myself up to speed.

A little bit of online news became a little bit more online news which became a little bit more which…

Became considerably more than I wanted to give to it.

Now, it was never CRAZY unconscious consumption of all inputs all the time via all available channels (Internet, Smartphone, etc.) but it was still too sub-Optimal for my tastes and for my commitment to practicing my philosophy.

The little Demon had opened the pickle jar and started feasting. It was time for the Daimon to seal the lid and put the jar somewhere nice and safe. 🤓

So…

As we discuss in our Mastery Series session on Algorithms focused on Deleting kryptonite habits, I decided to go back to my 0 tech news input standard (leaning on my weekly Economist to keep myself up to speed) and I used our handy-dandy tools to make it happen.

As part of that game, I wanted to track the habit deletion on my trusty wall calendar that makes a cameo in Journaling 101.

So…

Next to my “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7” I write on that wall calendar every morning to track (and Celebrate!) my Deep Work hours as I log them, I put up a big ol’ “0.”

I’d see that “0” all day as it served as a nice reminder during the day. Then, at the end of the day, after I successfully abstained from the tech news inputs, I got to cross it off.

I started out by crossing it off with an “X” like I cross off everything else.

Then I realized I could actually note my success by simply drawing a line through the 0 from the top to the bottom.

It turns out that THAT makes a “Φ” symbol.

And, as it turns out, I draw that Φ symbol EVERY single morning as my shorthand for my Identity commitment to being a world-class, professional lover of wisdom (aka “Philosopher”).

So…

Of course, I smiled. 🤓

Yep. That’s it. I’ll cross out my “0” commitment with a line that forms a symbol for my commitment to turning pro (day in and day out) as I practice my philosophy.

Now…

I did that for a few days and then, on one of my (multiple-per-day) walks, I realized that I draw the exact same circle and vertical line from top to bottom every single morning when I quickly sketch out our Heroic compass.

Of course, I also draw a horizontal line from left to right to capture the other cardinal virtues but I start with that vertical line.

You know what that vertical line in our compass points to?

Wisdom at the top and Self-Mastery at the bottom.

Then I smiled even wider.

YEP. That’s it.

That’s how I win the game: I have the Wisdom to know the game I’m playing and how to play it well AND I have the Self-Mastery to actually play the game well TODAY.

And…

That’s Today’s +1.

Do you have a “0” you need to install in your life?

Awesome. What is it?

Are you ready to commit to Deleting it? Awesome. Let’s go!

And…

Wanna join me in symbolically tracking our commitment to practicing our philosophy by capturing the “0” in your journal (/whatever you use) every morning then celebrating your dominance (and/or recommitting!) at the end of the day with a Φ?

Awesome.

Let’s do it.

Here’s to Wisdom + Self-Mastery for the Win.

TODAY.

+Φ +Φ +Φ