Getting to Zero

A few weeks ago I heard a lecture by a Vietnam Vet. It was inspiring and deeply moving. Almost as a afterthought he shared a theory that he called "getting to zero."

On the chalkboard he wrote a numeric continuum that looked like this:

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

He explained that for him, the positive numbers represent a self-aggrandizing mind set and the negative numbers represent a self-disparaging mind set. We don't learn so well when we are on either end, but when we are at zero, we are open and we are teachable.

This applies perfectly to the process of "healthifying" and "slim-ifying" a life. It is so easy for me to either wallow or be prideful. I like the concept of getting to zero and letting the master teacher teach me and change me.