Anyone who’s spent time around electronic devices is familiar with the reset button. When a gadget starts to act funny, the first act of technical support is to press “Reset.” It’s amazing how often this fixes the problem.
Life is similar. People find themselves becoming ineffective. They feel as though they are going in circles with zero output. Perhaps they’ve been trying to do too much or have been hit with several challenges at once. The way back to equilibrium is often by doing a reset.
Resets come in several forms. Some are involuntary, such as a sudden health problem. We refer to them as wakeup calls. Positive major milestones in life can also get us out of our ruts. The calendar provides reset opportunities as well — Think of all the adventures that begin on January 1 each year.
More valuable than any of these, however, is what I call The Manual Reset. This is the one that we do of our own efforts. Manual resets are intentional, and they can be more difficult, but the results are worth it.
When demands come quicker than we can turn them around, and the anxieties reach a tipping point, let’s consider our options. Wakeup call resets must surely be avoided. There’s no need to wait for a major event. And calendar-based changes are notoriously short-lived.
A manual reset, therefore, is the best choice for overcoming the frazzled feeling and getting back on a more productive road. We’ve got to quiet the distractions, reach for that figurative button and press it with all our might.
You won’t believe how much that applied to me at this moment. Thank you!
Well said.
Short, sweet, to the point and a nugget for the rest of us to consider.
Food for thought.
I hug my dogs, take a few minutes to read another chapter and then block the work in segments that will give me a sense of accomplishment.
I often think the author James Patterson found that if chapters were a mere two pages readers would be so impressed with themselves they would read on.
M
Strangely enough, my reset always happens on a airplane, and only when the plane’s not crowded and no one’s sitting beside me. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen very often these days.
Your words are polished into a thoughtful gem.
You helped me realize why I subconsciously reset; upsetting some, but giving myself time to breath and think. Encourages me to be more deliberate about sectioning off my time, decompressing and to creating mental space.
Thank you, Steve.
Hi Steve,
Great article. I am very thankful you have been in our lives! I reset by looking at my tasks around me and willfully neglecting those that are stuck on stupid. If I don’t step back and choose what to be passive about, then I keep getting the life sucked out of me. lol
This is a great analogy. Some of the ways I reset are to spend time with family and friends with no agenda or a few hours at the beach alone. Organizing a space is another way I reset. There is something about de-cluttering and putting things back into order that gives me a sense of a fresh start.
I reset by taking what I call A Day Of Spiritual Renewal several times during the year. It includes meditations in the a.m. and p.m., a good workout, affirming/inspiring readings, relaxing music and nutritious food. I also leave some time during the day to call a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while.