Year of the ZAO: Day 120

Good morning, happy Tuesday – April 30, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 120. Lately, we’ve been reflecting on the idea of what actually counts as a “meaningful accomplishment.” In a world that constantly hands out gold stars for visible wins — headlines, likes, money, status — it’s easy to internalize the idea that achievement is something external. But what if we flipped the scoreboard? What if the win was keeping your cool when someone came at you sideways?

Year of the ZAO - Day 119

Good morning, happy Tuesday – April 29, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 119. Today's reflection is about what happens when we stop guarding our ego like it’s Fort Knox and actually listen first. Not just nod along — but genuinely listen to the other person’s side, without plotting a counterattack in our heads while they’re still talking.

Year of the ZAO – Day 118

Good morning, happy Monday – April 28, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 118. Today’s reflection comes from Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. Obstacles are not barriers to happiness — they’re invitations. True peace doesn’t come from eliminating all problems; it comes from changing how we hold them. There’s a real shift that happens when you stop treating problems like invaders and start seeing them as part of the terrain. Sometimes we solve them. Other times, the real move is to open our hearts wi...

Year of the ZAO: Day 115

Good morning, happy Friday – April 25, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 115. Everything’s heavier when you expect it to go your way.

Year of the ZAO – Day 114

Good morning, happy Wednesday – April 24, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 114. One hundred years from now, every one of us will be replaced by a new generation. Every annoyance, frustration, or dropped ball today? Dust. That perspective hit home today thanks to a passage from Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. It's a reminder that almost everything we let rattle us is temporary. Our mistakes, our missed opportunities, our flat tires or double bookings—none of it will matter a century from now. And...

Year of the ZAO – Day 113

Good morning, happy Wednesday – April 23, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 113. You don’t need a stage to serve. Sometimes the most meaningful acts are invisible. And that’s the point. We often talk about impact like it’s something that comes later—after the funding, after the platform, after the “success.” But what if we flipped that logic? Today’s reflection is a reminder from Mother Teresa:“We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do little things with great love.”It’s not abou...

Year of the ZAO – Day 112

Good morning, happy Tuesday – April 22, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 112.Stillness Before the Storm Most of the world hits snooze, scrambles into the day, and wonders why they're always tired. But what if the exhaustion isn’t from doing too much — it’s from never doing anything just for you? Today’s lesson comes from Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, a gentle reminder that becoming an early riser isn’t just about discipline — it’s about reclaiming time for your soul. An hour or two of morning ...

Year of the ZAO – Day 111

Good morning, happy Monday – April 21, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 111. Let’s talk about something that quietly kills momentum: blame. Blame is sneaky. It convinces us that the mess around us isn’t our job to clean up. That the delay wasn’t our fault. That the disconnect in our team, our timeline, our vision — must be someone else’s problem. But here’s the truth: Blame is the fastest way to give away your power.

Year of the ZAO – Day 107

Good morning, happy Thursday – April 17, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 107.You are not just your wins. You are not just your flaws. You’re the whole damn masterpiece—and the spilled paint, too.Today’s reflection asks us to stop polishing the parts of ourselves we think are “acceptable” and finally take in the full scope of who we are. As Zorba the Greek once said, he was “the whole catastrophe”—and, frankly, so are we.

Year of the ZAO – Day 106

Good morning, happy Wavy Wednesday – April 16, 2025 in the Year of the ZAO: Day 106. S/o to Hurric4n3IKE for always setting the tone midweek.Some days I feel like I have a grip on everything. Other days? I'm just reminding myself to breathe and not overreact to the plot twist. This morning’s reflection hit different—straight from “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” (Day 76): Get Comfortable Not Knowing. It tells the story of a farmer who keeps labeling events as “the worst” or “the best”… only to r...