Rebooting

The What:

I invite you to consider the necessity of systematic personal rebooting and the potential impact on your productivity and relationships. The construct of rebooting as applied to computer systems is a familiar one. You have most likely utilized this process in an attempt to override an error in your computer’s operating system or to update your system’s functionality. Reboots can take the form of a hard or soft reboot. A hard one results from literally turning the system off and then back on again. A soft one restarts the system without formally interrupting the power. A soft reboot closes all open programs and completes pending output/input tasks before generating the reboot.

The Why:

So why, you may be asking at this point, am I providing you with a mini-lesson on technology? Let me explain. I have been increasingly aware of the need to replenish myself energetically. As one of my favorite mentors would wisely state when I tended to be in a 24/7 mode: “If you don’t make periodic and substantive deposits to your bank account, soon there will be nothing left to withdraw.” These energy deposits, what Stephen Covey refers to as “sharpening the saw,” are essential aspects of self-renewal in our increasingly busy lives. Intentional rebooting provides you with the means to the end of increased effectiveness and satisfaction in every realm of your life.

The How:

The best aspect of personal rebooting is there is no one right way to do this – you get to customize it to incorporate your interests, life-style, values and desires. You can choose to integrate both hard and soft reboots into your life in a variety of ways, creating a customized energetic means to the end of increased energy, passion, connectedness, outcomes and overall positive impact and meaning in every area of your life. Who wouldn’t want that? Whatever “how” you generate in your life, you want to include rebooting strategies for the following life areas – physical, psychological, relational, emotional and spiritual. You get to decide what works best for you at each stage of your life. The form that your personal rebooting takes will ultimately vary over the course of your life depending on your professional and personal life stage, values, current responsibilities and deliverables.

Personally, my rebooting consists of an ever evolving combination of hiking excursions, daily walking, yoga and meditation, yearly extended meditation retreats, reading mostly non-fiction on a variety of topics, life-long learning, connecting with family and friends and an ongoing expansion of my comfort zone. If I am not learning about something new or connecting with others, I am not able to operate with joy and passion and at my full potential. Depending on my schedule and commitments, my reboots are often of the soft variety – they are incorporated into my daily schedule. My hard reboots take the form of yearly meditation retreats and travel adventures.

The Invitation:

Once again, I invite you to consider the necessity of systematic personal rebooting and the potential impact on your productivity and relationships. What hard and soft reboots will you create in your life? What one action step will you commit to today to generate more positive energy in all aspects of your life? You’re worth it!

Janet