Why is Reset the best thing you can do in 2024.

It’s 2016, 8:30am on a Monday morning. I scanned my security pass against the door of my office and stepped in. Immediately I felt my skin crawl as though there were a thousand ants walking all over. My breathing quickened and I felt light headed. You see, I was working on projects that I was good at but wasn’t motivated by. I was clear in my mind that by the next 1 year I wanted more flexibility to be able to spend more time with my 3 kids. In my gut, I knew that I had to create this for myself.

In that moment, I knew that I was done there. I had to resign. The difficult part was that I had just been given a letter of appreciation by my CEO for a job well done. In a way, I was on top of my game.

Not really knowing what I was looking for, I took 5 days off to simply be in nature in the beautiful island of Bali. I was surrounded by lush greenery, nourished my soul with clean food and connected with a circle of supportive people. In that moment, I discovered something that surprised me. I realized that I was ready to take the plunge into the unknown – as scary as that might seem. I returned, resigned and set up my own company. I tripled my income within the first year of my business.

This is not a story of making an impulsive decision. Instead, it’s a story of taking a rest to reset and re-evaluate what is truly important to us. It is a story of getting off the hamster wheel to take a breath. It is a story of how in our busyness, we lose touch with ourselves.

We can get caught with the minutiae of our day to day. In zooming around, we can get tunnel vision as we focus on our next task to complete. But completing to-do lists doesn’t give us fulfilment. Maybe what’s needed is to get off the treadmill for a while and ask ourselves questions that unravel what kind of future we want for ourselves. Questions like “what do we truly want”, “what makes our heart sing” and “what are we grateful for”.

What does it mean to Reset?

Rest is having the wisdom to go slow. It is the recognition that we all have an inner wisdom which we can tap on. It is a choice we make for ourselves so that we can re-connect and refresh ourselves to what is most important to us. And this can be hard to do in a society where being on the “hamster wheel” is seen as a mark of success.

If the pandemic year 2020 has taught us one lesson it is that we cannot control outcomes. But we can control our practices. What are the practices we will put in place for ourselves that support us in a healthy way – for example – conscious breathing, eating healthy, sleeping on time, limiting time on social media.

Ultimately, we are responsible for our well-being so that we can show up for others and be of service to others.

Why is a Reset important for us??

I am struck by the number of leaders who share that they feel guilty about taking the time to look after themselves and their well-being. People feel that time should be spent doing something more “productive” like clearing urgent emails or working on the next project. In our always on and always connected society, hitting the Reset button can feel like a huge trade off – and one which may cause people to feel guilty. But if you want to build personal resilience and sustained energy, do consider putting in place well-being practices for yourself. This could be the very thing that sets you apart from everyone else.

Tell you a secret: I have said no to paid work because the date clashed with a session I had planned with my coach for that month. Another secret: when my kids are sick at home, I make sure that I get at least 30 minutes of exercise each of those days – because I know that is the only thing which makes me able to care for my kids.

I can safely say that I have put my health and wellness (physical and emotional) on a pedestal. And this has not been easy because of the demands of a busy life. So why do I do it? Because I strongly believe in the link between my wellness and how I show up for my work with others. The irony I have noticed is that the more time I put in my health and wellness, the better my business outcomes are. Every time I struggle with work, I take a break to look after myself and came back refreshed and reenergized to face the challenge. This break can be a short one like a 10-minute walk in the park to a longer one like exercising in the gym or even an hour curled up with a good book. Whatever I do, it is with the intent of looking after my own well-being.

How to Reset in 1 minute

Here is a 1 minute tip on how to rest no matter how busy you are: stop what you are doing and take 5 deep breaths. Just the simple act of conscious breathing will help to activate our parasympathetic nervous system which helps us to calm down. Often when we are busy or stressed we don’t realise that we are holding our breath (I know I do!) which puts us in our primal fight or flight mode. This impedes our ability to think deep and respond calmly.

In 2024, I plan to do another Reset of my career. I plan to go slower and consider more deliberately whether projects I say yes to are truly aligned to what I want.

As the new year begins, and before you get caught up with everyday life, I invite you do take a step back and evaluate where to you need to do a Reset for yourself:)