ZM Happy Thursday. Today’s lesson comes from the 4 Agreements cards. The message is simple: be impeccable with your word by letting go of self-judgment and blame. That line hits harder than it looks on paper. Because most of the time, the harshest voice in the room is our own.

I used to beat myself up after every mistake, big or small. A missed email, a botched transition, a wrong call in a meeting. My mind would replay it on loop, dragging the weight forward. But the truth is, judgment never fixes the past. Responsibility does. The shift came when I started owning my actions without punishing myself for them. The energy I wasted on blame got redirected into doing better the next time.

In ZAO, this mindset matters. We are building in public. That means experiments fail, ideas stretch too far, and some launches fall flat. If we spend energy judging ourselves, we stall. If we accept responsibility and move forward, the work compounds. The culture strengthens. Respect grows.

This week, take inventory. Notice the moments where your inner critic jumps in. Catch it, and choose responsibility over blame. That’s how you keep momentum without dragging old weights.

– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZAO Team