We’ve all been there.
Staring out the window, in the company of our own thoughts, wondering if this is as good as life gets.
You feel depleted.
Life just seems like it’s flying right by.
There’s a tug-of-war going on in your mind.
You don’t want to continue feeling the way you do, but you don’t know what to do to stop.
The Wake-Up Call for Change
The scenario I just described, often arriving unannounced, serves as a wake-up call for profound change.
Just because you crave a reset doesn’t necessarily mean your dissatisfied with where you are.
You’re just experiencing an inner realization that you’re meant for more than your current state.
You crave something.
You’re looking for an invitation to expand your horizons, explore facets of your existence that you’ve been overlooking or have set aside.
Here, I’m giving you permission to build a life that resonates with your most authentic self.
Let’s explore
- Indicators that your desire for a reset is valid
- How to create a mentality anchored to success
- How to build routines that embrace your desired change
Then, I’ll give you a step-by-step life reset guide that will leave you feeling motivated and excited for the next great leap.
Take a deep breath! You’re in the right place.
How to Know When Your Need to Reset in Life
Especially for those of us deeply invested in personal and professional development, there comes a time when the path we’re on no longer serves our highest aspirations.
Recognizing the need for a detour isn’t about admitting defeat.
It’s about acknowledging the natural need for growth, change, and renewal.
Here are some indicators that it might be time for a reset:
Persistent Feeling of Unfulfillment
You’ve reached impressive heights in life, feeling content more often than not.
But in spite of feeling noteworthy content, there’s still a nagging sense that something’s missing.
This void doesn’t feel like it can be filled with further successes or material gains either.
- Example: You celebrated a significant milestone in your career, expecting a rush of satisfaction, but the anticipated joy feels surprisingly hollow.
Constant Burnout
Despite regular breaks and vacations, you feel perpetually drained, both mentally and physically.
It’s as if the tank is empty, and the usual refills aren’t as effective as they used to be.
No matter the quality of your sleep, nutrition or relationships, your energy centers simply feel depleted.
- Example: Weekends used to be enough to recharge, but now, even after a long break, you return feeling just as exhausted as you left.
Stagnation in Growth
There’s a plateau not just in your professional achievements but in personal development too.
The strategies and routines that once propelled you forward no longer yield the same results.
You’re feeling yourself butting up against some sort of mental or spiritual ceiling; like you’re on a hamster wheel just performing the same actions without novelty or challenge.
Lack of Clarity About the Future
You’ve always had a vision for your future, but now, when you try to envision where you want to be in the next few years, the picture is blurry or uninspiring.
- Example: When asked about your goals for the next five years, you find yourself reciting a script rather than sharing a vision that truly excites you.
These are indicators a healthy life reset are in order.
But fear not.
They’re simply there to serve as a gentle call to action, urging you to reevaluate your current trajectory and consider a path that aligns more closely with your evolving values, aspirations, and the essence of who you truly want to be.
Cultivating a Life Reset Mentality
Performing a reset on your life isn’t about just changing what you do.
It’s fundamentally about transforming how you think.
So before we dig into ways to go about a reset, let’s just take a second to talk about mentality.
You can create a mentality ready for the exciting journey of self-reinvention, making each step forward both purposeful and empowering.
Life resets don’t have to be a daunting task.
They can reignite our engagement with life, making the new approach to our day feel more like a game and less like a drag.
- Build Resilience
- Recognize that setbacks are not failures but part of the growth process.
- Resilience is key to overcoming obstacles and staying committed to your reset journey.
- Foster Adaptability
- Acknowledge the power of being open to change.
- Adaptability ensures you remain aligned with evolving goals and the ever-changing landscape of life.
- Introduce small changes into your routine or take on new projects to cultivate flexibility and openness.
- Maintain a Positive Outlook
- Focus on the opportunities and learning experiences that come with your reset protocol.
- A positive outlook can transform obstacles into stepping stones.
- Start your day with a gratitude or contemplation exercise, taking mental note of things you’re thankful for to foster a positive mindset.
Cultivating the correct mindset is about making a conscious choice to view life’s challenges as opportunities to evolve.
Setting New, Bold Goals
Below, you’ll find actionable ways to define your objectives, paving the path for a reset that’s both ambitious and achievable.
- Envision Your Ideal Future
- Actionable: Dedicate time to vividly imagine where you want to be in 1 year. 2 years. What about 5?—personally and professionally. Write down what you’d like to see in detail, considering aspects of your life like career, relationships, health, and personal development.
- Ensure your goals reflect what’s genuinely important to you, not just societal expectations or external pressures. Your ideal life, no one else’s.
- Break Down the Vision into Achievable Goals
- Actionable: From your vision, identify specific, measurable goals. For example, if your vision includes owning your own business, a goal could be to develop a business plan or acquire a certain skillset your new venture requires within the next year.
- Identify Skills and Knowledge Gaps
- Actionable: Conduct an honest assessment of your current skills and knowledge. Pinpoint what you need to learn or improve to achieve your goals. Don’t get overwhelmed by what you don’t know!
- Create a Roadmap with Short-term Milestones
- Actionable: Divide your goals into quarterly or monthly milestones. Setting incremental growth targets and strategies to achieve them is a great way to track our progress and adjust course.
- View each goal as an experiment, where failure is not a setback but a learning opportunity. If a particular strategy doesn’t work, analyze why and adapt your approach.
- Commit to Self-Care and Well-being
- I can not stress this one enough. Recognize that achieving ambitious goals requires a foundation of physical and mental health. Incorporate regular exercise, meditation, good sleep, nutrition and moments of nourishing joy and relaxation into your routine to maintain balance.
Eliminating Distractions and Time-Wasters
Reduce the noise of your life.
Put that which you’re sick of on mute.
Simplify, simplify, simplify.
In order to do this, you have to make a conscious effort to prioritize what truly matters to you.
Delegate tasks, professional or personal, that can be handled by others.
Say no to commitments that don’t align with your new goals or values.
Here’s how:
- Prioritize Ruthlessly
“Does this action move me closer to my goals?”- If the answer is no, it’s a candidate for elimination or reduction. Prioritization is about making choices that align with your vision and goals, ensuring that your time and energy are invested in what truly matters.
- Evaluate Your Commitments
“Is this the best use of my time?”- If not, it might be time to renegotiate, delegate, or disengage from the activity or tasks altogether.
- You’ll get better at this the more you make a conscious effort to evaluate what’s getting a slot in your day and if it deserves that slot.
- Cultivate the Courage to Say No
“Will saying yes to this take away from my ability to achieve my main goals?”- Saying no is often challenging, especially when we’re not use to it. However, every yes to something non-essential is a no to something important.
- If you’re trying to make your health a priority and a friend of yours likes to invite you out for drinks 3-4 times a week, it might be time to decline their invite. That’s not to say eliminate all your friends! You just have to express honesty with them so they can stay aligned with your newfound commitments.
Asking yourself these questions along the way will amplify your focus, productivity, and satisfaction.
Remember, the goal is to create a life filled with activities and commitments that add value, bring joy, and move you closer to your vision of success.
Building Routines that Empower
The truth, as stark and unapologetic as it might be, lies in the routines we etch into the fabric of our daily lives.
Routines are the scaffolding of our existence.
They can either cage us in a monotonous drudgery or elevate us to achieve our highest potential.
Think of them as personal algorithms designed not by some tech overlord but by you, for you.
These aren’t just the mundane sequences of brushing your teeth or brewing your morning coffee.
They’re the deliberate choices we make to carve out time for what genuinely moves the needle: creativity, learning, fitness, and connection.
A Consistent Morning
Consider the first hour of your day as sacred.
How you spend it can set the tone for the next 23.
Instead of rolling over to scroll through an endless feed of digital noise, what if you chose instead to meditate, journal, or to simply sit and allow yourself to come “online” naturally?
This isn’t about some Zen-like transcendence but about claiming ownership of your mind before the world demands a piece of it.
Continual Learning
In a world obsessed with outcomes, it’s the process of learning that often gets sidelined.
Establish a routine that carves out time for acquiring new knowledge or skills.
This could be as simple as a weekly podcast or as committed as a daily language learning session.
Keep Your Creativity Alive
Creativity thrives in routine.
It sounds counterintuitive, like telling Tyler Durden to follow a schedule.
Yet, setting aside dedicated time for creative pursuits—be it writing, painting, coding, or daydreaming—frees your mind to explore the boundaries of its imagination.
Get Physical
Your body is the vehicle through which you experience the world, yet how often do we take it for granted?
A routine that incorporates physical activity, whether it’s a daily walk, a yoga session, or a full-blown workout, is non-negotiable.
It’s all about respecting the only place you have to live.
Make Your Required Connections
We’re social creatures, even if our inner cynic balks at the sentimentality of it.
Establishing a routine to connect with others, whether through deep conversations, shared experiences, or simply being present, enriches our lives and grounds us in reality.
In crafting a new routine, the goal is not to create a straitjacket of rigid adherence but a framework that supports your journey towards well-being and success.
A New Chapter: Implementing Your Life Reset Plan
Here’s a step-by-step action plan to guide you through implementing your life reset, emphasizing time management, prioritization, and the gift of learning.
Step 1: Define Clear, Specific Goals
Begin by articulating what you want to achieve with a reset. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART.) This clarity will serve as your north star, guiding your decisions and actions.
Step 2: Break Goals into Actionable Steps
Decompose each goal you set into small, manageable tasks. This makes the process less daunting and helps create a clear roadmap towards achieving your objectives. Assign realistic deadlines to each task to keep the momentum you seek.
Step 3: Prioritize Your Time
Evaluate how you currently spend your time and identify areas where you can cut back on non-essential activities. Allocate dedicated time blocks for working on your new habits and routines, ensuring your making consistent progress without sacrificing your well-being.
Step 4: Develop a Routine
Incorporate your reset tasks into a daily or weekly routine. Consistency is key to making substantial changes, and a routine can help turn your reset activities into habits, reducing the effort required to stay on course.
Step 5: Leverage Your Learnings
As you implement your new plans and routines, you’ll gain insights and learnings about yourself and what you truly want. Leverage these insights to refine your goals and strategies, ensuring that your life reset continues to evolve as you inevitably do.
Sometimes, we think “man, I need a reset” and what that would require feels too overwhelming to follow through with.
I challenge you to oppose that way of thinking.
These intuitive tugs we get from time to time are not dangerous or embarrassing.
They’re exciting; you want more from your life!
Be proud of your desire to want more from yourself.
Then, allow your ability to create more for yourself fuel any future life resets that come your way.
