Sometimes you’re just keeping your head down, working on some project or goal. Especially for really intense or interesting projects, life around you blurs as you focus on reaching that last milestone. You try to find time for your other interests or hobbies, but in reality everything is put on hold, all for the sake of finishing.
Your friends talk about the latest movie they saw.
The season changes from winter to spring, or summer to fall, and you find that for some reason the clothes you are wearing are too warm, or not warm enough.
Wait, who is running for President?
And so it goes.
But finish you eventually do, and waves of euphoria and exhaustion rush over you while you eat chocolate, listen to music cranked too loud, and dance around the living room with your Beagle.
Or, maybe that’s just me.
At these moments it is important to acknowledge the victory, to catch up on rest and laundry, to respond to overdue emails, and, most importantly, when you are ready, to reset yourself.
And by resetting yourself, I mean you need to take new stock of where you are — you need to recharge your mind, body, and spirit. You need to reassess your priorities. You need to refocus your gaze onto that next mountain you want to climb.
The reset is where you reflect, and realize you’ve learned and grown as a result of finishing your last project. You’ve gained new skills. You’ve outgrown or moved on from previous ways of thinking. You’ve matured.
You are a new person — you’ve changed from the person you were before.
And because you’ve changed, you need to rethink previous plans and perhaps modify, upgrade, or alter previous ways of living.
The reset is when you redraw your starting point. You are not starting over, because you’ve already come a long way. But you are restarting your journey from a new vantage point, with renewed energy, a fortified sense of self, and a new outlook on life.
The reset allows you to benefit from what you have done, equipping you with the skills and courage to climb even higher the next time, and making sure you are climbing the right mountains to begin with.
Without the reset, you risk pursuing old, outdated, or immature goals — tilting at windmills, if you will.
So, yes, celebrate your victory, and restore your body, mind, and spirit. But then reset, and begin again.