“Alright
everybody…back to ones.”
This
is what you’ll hear if you’re working on a film set and they’re going to
reshoot a scene. I’ve been an extra in several films, and the more times I
heard that phrase meant the more hours I was going to be spending on set that
day. It wasn’t the greatest sentence to hear, but deep down I knew that the
intent behind it was to get the scene completed just right. Going “back to
ones” time and time again rebooted the scene until it worked.
There
are times in our lives where we need to reboot ourselves. We get stuck in a pattern, follow
the wrong path for too long or simply need a jolt; that’s when
rebooting can be the best thing we can do. Think about when you reboot a
computer: you’re essentially changing how it is currently functioning (usually
slowly and sluggishly) and getting it back to where it was when you first
powered it up. You’re not changing the entirety of the computer, just the way
it is currently operating. When you reboot yourself, you’re doing the same
thing. You’re not changing the inner workings of yourself, you’re changing how
you’re currently operating.
But
rebooting yourself isn’t as easy as pressing a power button or holding down
control-alt-delete. There’s more to it than that.
Remove Yourself
When
you are going about the reboot process, you need to step back and steer clear
of whatever it is that you’re doing that is causing the need to reboot. That
may mean taking a day off of work mid-week or taking
a trip to get away from it all so that you can get clear with
yourself. Regardless, it has to be something that you would not normally do.
Calling in sick mid-week or taking one of your vacation days to break the
pattern of a steady work week is one method. Using paid vacation to go as far
away from what’s got you stuck is another. This isn’t running away from the
problem – this is putting yourself in a place where you can really look at it
and decide what the next step is. The goal is to reset yourself and you can’t
do that when you’re still “on”.
Rest Yourself
Once
you’ve taken the time to get clear on your next move, take the time to enjoy
that moment. When a computer reboots it takes a bit of time to refresh itself.
You don’t press the power button and see it instantly turn back on. It spends
time getting ready for what’s next. That’s what you need to do.
You
need to reflect on what you’ve decided to do and why you’ve decided to do it –
and then look forward to what’s next. There’s no clutter involved, no stress. You’re just warming up. You’re getting
ready to go. That takes time and energy. So rest up…and then go.
Recognize Yourself
Now
that you’re clear and rested, recognize what you’re going to do to keep
operating at the level you need to without having to reboot again anytime soon.
Rebooting slows you down initially but once you’re up and running again you
start to progress rapidly – as long as you stay focussed on what your intention
is. You need to recognize this and act on it, otherwise you’ll be rebooting
yourself again far too soon.
Yourself…Rebooted
Just
as being stuck can be a stick in the craw of your productivity, so can
not knowing how to get yourself unstuck. The next time you feel that you’d be
better off just trudging through your difficulties, think about giving yourself
a reboot. It may just be the wake-up call you need, and now you’ve got the tools
to get it done.
Don’t
quit on yourself and your situation. Take a page from technology and “force
quit” what’s going on and fire yourself up again. You may find out a lot more
about what’s going on inside you and whether or not you need to refresh your
life – or if you need to upgrade your life.
THANKS FOR READING
