The Reset Button
A self-care reminder for the day: you are allowed to press the reset button.
As I pondered about my life for the past few months, I came to realise how very different it is now compared to what it used to be. After making several revisions to my immediate environment and setting boundaries from things that my soul rejected, the only regret that I ever have was that why I didn’t do certain things sooner. Why didn’t I say ‘Time-out, this isn’t working for me. Let’s re-calibrate.’ Instead, I nosedived into a hole in the ground, stayed there, and dug deeper into its dark, distant abyss, accepting that to be my fate.
Coming out of it, I learned to appreciate, now more than ever, the beauty of change and how wonderful it is to be able to create a completely new reality by merely stepping out of the picture and choosing a different course of action.
So what I have learned from that experience is that whenever the circumstances no longer suit you, it can sometimes be tempting to resuscitate the situation and exhaust your efforts on your current reality because of the amount of investment you’ve expended in it. Nevertheless, this toxic attachment is counterproductive because it goes against the harmonious flow of things.
Life is meant to be aligned similar to the workings of nature where growth is meant to happen sans strain and resistance. Tides automatically synchronise, seeds develop spontaneously, and animals inherently thrive. Yet where there is strife, there is destruction, haste, and noise. Storms, landfalls, hurricanes, and earthquakes, for example, are powerful forces that embody the element of change and struggle. Oftentimes, these events are necessary to cleanse the air, clear the land, re-group, and restructure. Inevitably, they force a different atmosphere and landscape. The same principle applies to the instances that we find ourselves in, and, like the evolution of life, where there is change, adaptability determines the survival of the fittest.
What can be seen in nature often reflects the events that happen in our lives. Situations rearrange themselves not to destroy us, but to change the scenery. We are forced out of our comfort zones in order to reset and re-evaluate our belief systems about the things we value the most. Each time we hit walls, deep in our psyches, there was a part of us that had always known that the old order of things was dysfunctional.
Change is a gift. It clears the obsolete, ineffective areas of our lives that we know are no longer serving us. It upgrades our state of being to a higher level, revealing possibilities that are healthier and more sustainable. It paves the way for different alternatives which we never thought possible. It opens doors and opportunities that we did not dare imagine. And many times, these new pathways trailblaze into surprising developments in our lives which end up being better.
Each time you say no to an entity, you are saying yes to another reality. You create the boundary by what you tolerate. Setting the parameters to who or what deserves access to you is the first step to the process of change. The secret is knowing what it is that you want. Once you’ve established the expected outcomes, the next question is not how, because just as grass effortlessly grows, the Universe will eventually sort itself out for you. The real question is ‘What does it take for you to willingly give up in exchange for a clean slate?’ Thus, the reset button. It is symbolic of the courage and actions required to create a better lifestyle where there were once just obstacles. This figurative notion has always been there right inside of you. It is a matter of taking action that aligns with your dreams, character, and aspirations, sometimes even if you do not see how it is going to play out yet.
Resetting involves removals. It is emptying the trash, for a new drawing board. Clearing out the clutter in your life, especially those that do not serve any purpose. Clarity comes when you simplify and make space for brand-new inspirations and influences. Therefore, do not be afraid to cut losses and change lanes, otherwise, you would have never known what is waiting on the other side if you had just made that decision. Many of us wake up and find ourselves on a dead-end road. Robotically going about our day without inspiration. Without reaching our full potential, without knowing any better. Surely, that is no way to live at all.
Current situations may deceivingly appear to be the best or the only option we can ever have. These may be attributed to the length of time we have invested in a venture, our limited core belief systems, the familiarity with the routines and people we have been with, and the comfort zone that a particular environment has served us. It is sometimes scary to think about leaving what we have known in exchange for vulnerability and uncertainty. To let go, start again, and learn new ways of exploring different horizons as a constant student of life. However, accepting a pattern that you know deep inside yourself is no longer effective, and staying in a rut, is far more wasteful.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being content with what you have, but that should come from a place of honest introspection and confidence. Settling is fine if you find great value in a particular course of life. Nonetheless, if there is no gain and growth, then you are simply short-changing yourself. Remember that your time here on earth is temporary and limited, which makes every moment of your existence worthwhile. Put trust in yourself and always aim to level up by your true definition of success and happiness. As Oprah Winfrey beautifully said in her Stanford Commencement Speech back in 2008, “… forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. Honour your calling. Everybody has one.”
Do not waste your energy on people, places, and pursuits that are futile. It is hopeless to revive situations you cannot improve on, as more often than not, these jaded things end up changing you. Accepting low-level realities affects your inner self-worth in the long haul. Therefore, find whatever it is that gives you that authentic joy and sense of meaning and purpose. Look for the joiedevivre that feeds your soul with love and passion. Keep exploring and moving forward. Spend less time and energy on hopeless cases or the bare minimum treatment. Instead, focus your attention on knowledge, growth, abundance, health, wellness, and peace, in whatever shape and form these may take. This is exactly the purpose of a reset button. No matter the external factors that surround you, you always have the power to position yourself to your highest good, for there is always that protected part of you that no one else can get to –your spirit, your inner voice, your authenticity.
Lastly, no matter how deep you think you’ve submerged into a particular situation, nothing in this world is worth suffering in that you cannot get out of. There is always hope. Think outside of the box and the answers will come to you. You will meet new people whose wavelengths and frequencies resemble yours. You will encounter brilliant ideas, or bump into invigorating opportunities that will pull you out of your misery by breathing fresh air into your soul. And just like the seasons, no matter how dark and dead the winter was, know that spring is just around the corner. Things don’t always have to be dull and lifeless, because one of the most beautiful aspects of living is that there’s always a chance for a fresh start, a new beginning.
