I’ve always admired people who approach their own growth systematically. They look at their career, their life, and their aspirations, and think, “What would it take to get better at X?” Then, they go off and do it.
One particular colleague from my last job is exactly this way. She’s brilliant, delightful, and exceptional at her job, but when she looked at her skillset a few years ago, she identified a gap: She was uncomfortable with public speaking. When the pandemic hit, instead of watching more TV or baking sourdough bread like the rest of us, she used her newfound free time to take improv classes online. Unexpectedly, she fell in love with improv — to the point where it’s now a real hobby for her. (And her professional public speaking has improved, too.)
I greatly admire her and this path she took to self-improvement. Unfortunately, it’s not a path I could ever take.
A Different Path to Growth
In my life, growth tends to be an offshoot of curiosity. When I look at my personal and professional opportunities, I’m rarely (if ever) motivated by the desire to “become better” or to pursue something just because it’s outside my comfort zone. What motivates me is a desire to understand and to discover.
Curiosity played a big role in my coming to Zero. Having spent most of my career in media and entertainment-related tech, I grew interested in reorienting towards health and wellness — a professional category I hadn’t explored. It was a logical transition because I was already spending my free time trying to figure out how to live more healthfully in a sustainable way. I was also curious as to what it would be like to lead an entire company. So, I pursued the opportunity. And I can’t say it’s been easy, but I am having so much fun stretching and growing and learning. (So much learning. Endless learning.)
Is curiosity the only or the “best” way to pursue growth? Of course not. My colleague took an entirely different — but equally effective — path to getting good at improv! Motivation to learn and improve yourself can come from almost anywhere; what’s helpful is to get clear on what motivates you and then find ways to lean into that.
Challenge Yourself to Grow
By virtue of being a Zero Member, I imagine you have some interest in personal growth. Maybe you’re curious about how fasting can improve your health. Maybe you’re seeing some health metrics you don’t like, and you’ve downloaded Zero to try and improve those numbers. Whatever your motivation, we’re here to encourage you to push yourself on your growth journey.
In fact, motivation to grow is the impetus behind this month’s Spring into Action Challenge. We’re challenging you to log three 18-hour fasts in seven days, from March 20–27. If this is something you’ve never tried before, give it a shot! You have nothing to lose, and who knows — you might discover you love 18-hour fasts as much as my colleague now loves improv.
That’s the thing about growth: It often feels uncomfortable, but we always come out better for it.
As Zero continues to grow, please keep giving us feedback! Hearing from you is how we know if we’re headed in the right direction (and how we can get there even faster).
Until next time,
Tom Conrad
CEO at Zero Longevity Science
- Tom’s April Update - April 22, 2024
- Tom’s January 2024 Update - January 8, 2024
- Tom’s November Update - November 6, 2023
