Is it Time to Press the Reset Button on Life, Career & Business

The COVID-19 outbreak has been the most unprecedented and catastrophic event of the century. It has not only spread relentlessly through the world creating a path of death and destruction by destroying the livelihoods of millions of people but also has crushed the dreams of Entrepreneurs and dislocated Businesses Worldwide. 

 It has been more than 2 months of putting careers and businesses on hold and leading a life in the lock-down, in the middle of fear, economic crisis, and social distancing. The lock-down also witnessed a large population across the world working remote, working from home and dealing with increased technology and automation. Though psychologically and emotionally, it is not "Business as Usual" as most people are finding a challenge to get their heads around the "New Normal".

THE NEW NORMAL

While we all understand that the world may not be the same again, it is important for us to acknowledge and get ready for the “New Normal”. The tough questions that need answers are:

• Have you reflected on how to cope up with the dynamics of the “New Normal” for your Life, Career and Business?
• Will the Life, Career and Business that you have built will remain relevant, or do you have to pivot it to align to the “New Normal”?
• Are you better prepared for such sudden and unpredictable crisis and disruptions in the future? or Do you think a complete Rethink of Life, Career and Business is warranted?
• Do you think to stay relevant you need to rebuild, rethink and recalibrate your mindset?
• Is there a need for you to invest time, energy, and financial resources to intensify up-skilling and re-skilling? 

TIME TO RESET, REALIGN, & RESTART

Based on my interactions with Entrepreneurs, Business leaders and Professionals, in the Mid-Senior Career levels in the Corporate sector over the last 2 months, having candid conversations in my Online Coaching and Mentoring sessions, I found that most Businesses and Careers are confronted with the challenge of the “New Normal” and are doing everything to stay afloat and relevant.

 In many ways, the pandemic has hastened the arrival of what many experts and thought leaders predicted as the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the Future of Work and Business. Has the COVID-19 crisis accelerated us towards a future we have been long anticipating for years?

 It is quite clear that with the fallout from the pandemic, businesses have to accelerate digitization and automation. Indeed, recent data from McKinsey show that we have vaulted five years forward in consumer and business digital adoption in a matter of around eight weeks. Banks have transitioned to digital by enabling and encouraging customers to fully transact online; grocery stores have shifted to online ordering and delivery; schools and colleges in many locales have pivoted to 100 percent online learning and digital classrooms. Doctors have begun delivering telemedicine and consultations on video conference, aided by more flexible regulation and the list goes on.

 I think for most people and businesses it is a clear opportunity that has emerged to RESET expectations and priorities, Realign and Restart Life, Career and Business.

Are the challenges of adopting to the “New Normal” a strong enough reason for a RESET. It is also important to identify that you need a RESET to start all over again and the time for it, is now. Here are a couple of other ways to identify that you need a RESET.

• A RESET is necessary when the life you are living, has become completely and unimaginably different than you ever wanted
• A constant feeling of unhappiness could indicate a need for a RESET. 
• Unhappiness in any of the areas of Life, Career or Business could indicate a need for a RESET.
• Feeling of hopelessness, sense of being trapped and lost with no purpose, fear overtakes our hope, feelings of being completely defeated with no idea of how to even begin to change or adopt. 

HOW TO RESET, REALIGN & RESTART LIFE

In order to hit the RESET button, it is important to start with where you’re at right now, where you want to go and what changes you can make in life to create a balanced wheel of Life, Career and Business to get the Wheel moving, to gain speed, velocity and momentum in your journey of life and success. A very simple way to achieve this is through a self-assessment called the “Wheel of Life”.

 The “Wheel of Life” is a popular visual tool used to help you quickly understand how balanced or fulfilled your life is in this moment. It also gives an overview of your current "Life Balance" and a helicopter view of how satisfied you are with your life, in key predefined and important areas of life.

 The tool also gives you an understanding how to create more balance in different areas of your life. Whenever you feel the need to hit the RESET button in your life, this exercise will help you figure out how you can do that.

The original concept of The “Wheel of Life” is attributed to the late Paul J. Meyer who founded the Success Motivation? Institute in 1960. Paul J. Meyer was a thought leader and a coaching industry pioneer.

 There are eight sections in the “Wheel of Life” that represent your life.

1. Physical Health – sleep, self-care, eating habits, exercise, your energy
2. Mental Health – the quality of your thoughts, level of positivity, attitude toward the world, mindsets and your focus
3. Finances– sticking to a budget, savings, tendency to overspend, your money beliefs, financial planning and independence
4. Relationships – interactions with family, friends, partners, colleagues, etc.
5. Career / Business – productivity levels, attitude toward work, fulfillment with position, your business, how successful are you with your business or as an entrepreneur
6. Home – the level of comfort in your living space, cleanliness / tidiness, organization
7. Recreation – hobbies, activities, fun, downtime
8. Spiritual / Personal Growth – connecting with yourself or a higher power, learning new skills, meaning and fulfillment

Here are the Instructions to take the “Wheel of Life” Assessment [At the moment or current state]:

• Rank your level of satisfaction with each area out of 10. 1 means you are struggling and feel unfulfilled in that area. 10 means you’re satisfied with that area and don’t think it needs much improvement.
• Go with your gut and be candid.
• Color the number of spaces on the wheel that match your ranking, starting from the inside and working out.
• Once you complete scoring on all the 8 areas, you should see which areas need improvement, choose to set goals or create an action plan around the areas of life where satisfaction is low.

The completed “Wheel of Life” Assessment might resemble this sample [current level [C] – black color]. 

Revisit all the 8 areas again and rank where do you want the satisfaction level to be at [future level [F] – green color]. The 8 areas in the “Wheel of Life” where the gap between the current state and the future state is large automatically becomes the areas to RESET, Realign and Restart by setting goals and creating action plans.

HOW TO RESET, REALIGN & RESTART BUSINESS

A similar “Wheel of Business” self-assessment would help you identify areas to RESET, Realign and Restart by setting goals and creating action plans. In order to hit the RESET button for your Business, it is important to start with where you’re at right now, where you want to go and what changes you can make in Business to create a balanced “Wheel of Business” to get the Wheel moving, to gain speed, velocity and momentum in your journey of success.

As a Business Coach & Mentor I have been helping my clients take the “Wheel of Business” Assessment and doing a deep dive using my 6 R Framework enabling them to Respond to the Reality of the “New Normal”. 

TO CONCLUDE

Undeniably, there is a real need to re-evaluate the quality of your Life, Career and Business. As the consumer preferences dramatically change, the dynamics of demand becomes unpredictable, a future where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity become the norm, we are certainly in for a challenging future. The choice is clear, to be Agile, Adapt to the Change, Invest and Innovate, Disrupt or get Disrupted, RESET, Realign and Restart to stay Relevant.

 It is time to RESET, Realign and Restart to fulfill your potential, to turn your pain to purpose, to develop resilience, to live what you are here to do and to have your most fulfilling life. RESETS can happen daily, weekly and yearly. We have small RESETS at times and large life changing RESETS also. RESETS take immense courage but they are important and necessary.

 RESETS are necessary in every area of our Life, Career and Business. As the world slowly inches towards restarting and coming to terms with the “New Normal” it is prudent for us to take positive actions, empower ourselves rather than succumbing to the problems caused by the uncertainty. We also need to learn to prioritize our health and mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, through all of this crisis and uncertainty.

 And finally, as you move back to a semblance of normalcy, do not ignore the value of the RESET option in your Life, Career and Business.