I often use the phrase “getting to zero” when talking to my students. I used to assume that they knew what I meant, and I think for the most part they did. However, I was asked to explain it one time recently and it actually took a bit of thought for me to put it into words.
I believe that you can all benefit from the explanation I gave….
So, there are a couple of ways we can look at “getting to zero”. Both are essential in understanding the mindset for creating an abundant life.
1. Understanding that changing direction involves resetting to zero
If we’re pursuing a plan and discover that it’s actually taking us away from the life we want to live, it’s safe to assume that we’re moving in the wrong direction. In this case, we sort of have to get back to center, a place of zero before we can move forward to where we want to be.
As we make adjustments, it may actually feel like we’re going backwards. But thankfully, in reality, we are simply starting to move in the right direction.
2. Being willing to wind up back at zero in order to restart correctly
When I evaluated my pre-Lifeonaire situation as I was “building my empire”, I eventually discovered that all I was pursuing was actually taking me further away from the life that I had hoped for.
I believed that I was doing everything right, but I finally admitted that something was probably wrong. I came to the conclusion that my business was designed to accumulate wealth and assets at the expense of my life. It wasn’t designed to give me life, but instead to take it and drain it.
I decided that I wanted my life back and that there was no cost too high to pay. In other words, I would let go of everything if I had to to get back to $0.
Why was I willing to do this? Because I knew I had the knowledge so when I got back to zero, I could build things back up quickly but do it the right way the second time around. That didn’t mean that the goal was $0 net worth, or $0 in income. But that was on the table if that was what it took.
I had enough faith in my skills to know that I’d get to where I wanted to go quicker from zero then I would trying to turn around a ship that was going the wrong way.
I often ask people this question: how would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and had nothing (no assets, no responsibilities, no debt, etc.), but you still had all the knowledge, contacts, etc. that you have today? Most people say “That would be awesome!” They feel this way because they know they would have the freedom to rebuild the right way.
The problem is, most people don’t have the courage to let go. They would rather fight to hold on and try to fix something that is broken before moving ahead.
When you try to work with trying to fix a broken system, you have to fight from weakness. But from zero, you get to fight from strength.
(Note: If you think you might be on a trajectory that’s moving you away from what you truly want , you could really benefit from prioritizing your life with a Vision. Our Vision is a clear, written description of what your complete, ideal life looks like. If you don’t have your own Vision yet, here’s a simple resource that can help you start the process for yourself.)
So it boils down to this:
How badly do you want an abundant life? And do you believe you could build your business the right way starting from scratch with what you know today? I believe most people can.
So it’s a mindset. You need to fight to reset. You need to fight to get to a position of strength, whatever that may look like.
That doesn’t mean that you have to give everything up, but it means you should be willing to if that is what it takes. Once I shed everything that was holding me back and weighing me down, I started moving forward quickly, building a very strong foundation and creating an incredible life (and wealth from it).
Are you willing to get to $0 if that is the path to living an abundant life?