When you’re creating or trying something new, than one is greater than zero. If something didn’t exist before and now it does, than that outcome is worth celebrating. When testing out a new idea or strategy, if you get results then one is greater than zero. Even if the result was not what you wanted or expected, if you’re even a little bit better off than you were had you not attempted the task, then one is greater than zero.

Sometimes that’s all you need, is to make small progress and get just one step ahead from where you were previously. This is true for all sorts of things in life. When it comes to moving from depression to happiness, all you might need is to go on another day before things seem better. How about saving for a large expense. One is definitely greater than zero. First time doing something? Therapy. Telling someone difficult news. Asking someone out on a date. Sharing your honest feelings. Saying “no” to something. In each case the most difficult occurence is often going from zero to one – the frist time you do it. That doesn’t mean one to two and beyond is easy, it only implies that the first time of doing something unfamiliar is creating something from nothing. After that, you have some idea of what advancement will take to continue. The journey may be long, but if the outcome worthwhile and desired, each step is important.

I think about this concept most often when it comes to trying out new ideas at work. If a new revenue producing idea is being discussed and it doesn’t come with a great deal of investment, it’s always worthwhile to give it a shot. Sometimes things don’t work out and we move on. Other times we reinvest and try to make it better with intentions of growing beyond one.

This can be a slippery slope, however, because these things do take some amount of diligent and focused thought and effort. Most things will fail if just left to their own devices. With an honest intention and effort equally applied, you can reliably decide if the results were worth the input.

Sometimes, the hardest work is just getting from zero to one. Once that result has been acheived, the rest of the journey is more familiar and we are more capable of responding to obstacles.