I had dinner with a new friend recently who suggested the title of my next book. Little did she know I don’t plan to write another. 😉

After losing her husband in a tragic accident, she felt distraught. Lonely and stuck. She wasn’t sure what was next or how to begin thinking about her future with optimism. She picked up my new book, UP!, and said that three words (out of more than 58,000) stopped her in her tracks. She can’t stop thinking about them. She’d never considered them as she built her career and life.

Add a zero.

Here’s the paragraph (one of several steps for learning to think bigger) from a chapter called “Picture Your Future”:

This idea. This insight. It deserves more ink than 68 words. It can fundamentally transform your life. It did mine.

Here’s the backstory that’s not in the book.

I once wrote down a number I wanted but didn’t believe I deserved because it was less than what I knew my father had made. Somewhere in me, going higher felt disrespectful. Or maybe just unattainable. I’m still not sure which. Maybe both.

Back in 1997/98, the founder of the company I worked for hired professional coaches for a few dozen of us to grow our self-awareness and leadership skills. I was one of the lucky ones. I remember sitting on a sofa in a private corner of Caribou Coffee with my coach. She could tell I felt underutilized, underpaid, and capable of a lot more than I was doing.

She asked me to write down how much money I wanted to make. She didn’t say by when. I was making about $75K, so I wrote $100K. Six figures felt bold (that was an aspirational salary for me and my peers).

She slid the paper back across the table and said, “Add a zero.”

I was stunned. What?!? How?!? Why?!?

She didn’t explain much. She just looked at me and said it again. Then she told me to think bigger about everything: what I wanted to do with my life, who I wanted to meet, what I was capable of earning, what impact I could have. The list went on and on.

That was it. Those three words. They rewired how I thought about my own future. About what was possible. Becoming a three-time author, public speaker, podcaster, business owner and CEO, an executive in one of the world’s most respected tech companies. Owning a home in the city of my dreams. Traveling the world. Cultivating coveted friendships. Raising a family. Giving generously.  And earning more than I could have imagined.

My friend was right. Those three words could be a book. But maybe it’s simpler than that. Maybe it’s just three words worth carrying with you, today and always.

So, what’s your number? Write it down.

Now take a breath and add a zero.

Hit reply and tell me how it feels. 😅

You’re equipt to think bigger.