First Post!

Maybe our computers are indeed smarter than us. When they feel overloaded and maxed out, they simply freeze up and demand to be shut down.  Upon rebooting, they feel refreshed, recharged and get to start over with a clean slate.

Many of us wish we could hit Control-Alt-Delete and shut down to ultimately start over again.  Maybe it’s just to check out for a few days to get our head back on straight.  Or, at a deeper level, to completely wipe out everything going wrong in our lives with a total do-over.  We may be upset when our computers freeze up and lose all the active documents by shutting down all the applications; But, aren’t there times when we wish we could freeze up all the mess in our personal lives and shut it all down in order to get a new fresh start?

In Nick Hornby’s novel “A Long Way Down”, four individuals living four very different lifestyles all find themselves on the roof of a building on New Year’s Eve.  The only thing in common this collective group has is that each of them has made a mess of their lives, to the point where they all aspire to be shut down.  But, as they talk thru this common thread they have amongst themselves, they all ultimately opt for a reboot –starting over with a clean slate.  For such a morbid subject, the book is truly inspiring (and entertaining!).

So, how do we reboot without taking the dramatic challenge of standing on a rooftop?  The reality is that life has no rules, no guaranteed roadmap, and we all take detours off the main course.  Haven’t we all arrived at some point in our lives, whether it be in a relationship, family, career, home, health and simply asked –how did I get here?  How on earth did this area of my live devolve to this current state?  And, if we had a Control-Alt-Delete mechanism, wouldn’t we be triggering it?

Of course, often what sustains us thru difficult times is this last resort option to simply mix it all up –move to another country, quit your job and find a career in a new field, identify with a new circle of friends, etc.  Whether it’s fantasy or reality, the ability to tap into that option of rebooting our life allows us to persevere and deal with our current problems.  Knowing you have the Control-Alt-Delete buttons within reach of your fingertips can offer comfort.  As we deal with one crisis after another, our inner voice can offer “hey, I can just throw in the towel and move to Bali and start over.  I can bail out anytime so let me just see if I can deal with this for now”.  Do we really believe this? No, but simply having the potential to do so is often powerful enough to keep the wheels from coming off.


The trick is to continuously tweak things, rather than go for the massive overhaul.  When we see us going down a slippery slope, the earlier we can catch it and remedy it, the sooner we can get back up on our feet.  In fact, the major secret to life & happiness may just be to never allow yourself to get to the point of where you’re looking for your Control-Alt-Delete buttons.  Thru self-awareness and creating a culture among friends & family to be open to criticism, we can all avoid the paths that lead to a downward spiral.

So…next time your computer locks up and you find yourself cursing it as you are forced to shut everything down, take a moment to reflect on your own life to ensure you can avoid the same destiny as your computer.