If you were born in the early 90’s like me then you are most likely familiar with the video game revolution. Growing up through this time period afforded me with the amazing opportunity to see the video game industry explode and really start to evolve. Possibilities seemed endless as new tech companies unveiled their version of the next generation, game-changer console that came preloaded with more new and improved features than anyone was ready to handle. I absolutely loved being engulfed in the gaming community. I eagerly looked forward to any new announcement and I waited patiently (more like feverishly) for new systems and titles to be released each season. As you can tell from my overly romantic breakdown, I was and will always be a big fan of the video game industry. However, no matter how impressive these systems continue to get, after a while I started to notice one key feature that has almost been entirely replaced. I got older as a business coach and game consoles evolved into graphics and memory heavy supercomputers.
I’ve learned both in my experience as a coach and my growth as an ordinary human being that a good reset is needed in order to continue our paths toward success.
I noticed I was missing the nostalgia of some of the older consoles. The ones that I picked up before being a business coach, for my very first gaming experience. They just had one single element that’s rare to find on most consoles today – a bold, clear as day Reset button. For those of you that never got into gaming, this magical button made it possible to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh. What made this feature of the home gaming systems unique was the fact that popular arcade-style games did not have this readily available for players. You were completely at the mercy of any game unless you had the skills and knowledge to surpass the bad guy or to solve the extremely hard puzzle. Without the skills required, your only options were to lose (die…) or to outright rage quit. And both options came at an additional cost should you chose one as you’d have to pony up the extra quarters or tokens to get a redo. The underrated beauty of the home console was the freedom to learn from your mistakes, smash that reset button, and go back for glory using the skills you learned from your mistakes. Stuck on a crazy difficult challenge or puzzle, hit the reset button.
Now at this point, you’re probably thinking, “I came here for a business coaching article… How in the world does learning the ins and outs of retro gaming help me?”. Well, my skeptical friend, I’ll answer your question with one of my own. Have you ever found yourself stuck in a difficult situation with no clear answer or tools to assist you in your struggle? I’m going to make the assumption that you too have fallen victim to this scenario. I’m going to make another bold assumption and say that in this particular time you most likely felt like your only options were to lose or give up. Well, what if I told you that my precious Reset button has real-world applications? I’ve learned both in my experience as a coach and my growth as an ordinary human being that a good reset is needed in order to continue our paths toward success.
Now I’ve experienced individuals that look at the option of resetting their approach or mindset as a sign of weakness, or simply they just view it as another word for quitting. I choose to call these people “incorrect”. A good reset doesn’t mean that you quit or compromise your goal, instead, it’s more about taking the time to reflect on how you got to this particular sticky situation and refining the skills you currently have in order to surpass the obstacle. At any given point in life it is far too normal to become complacent and comfortable with the way things are. For example, people will pursue a love interest with white-hot passion until they finally catch them and convince them that they’re the one. It doesn’t take too long before the level of comfort sets in and things become repetitive and robotic. The mundane becomes the new normal and suddenly it’s not a challenge or enjoyable any longer. Or take a business that’s blinded by their success and refuses to acknowledge the holes in the systems that are slowly losing them revenue and leads. It would be ridiculous to call it quits in either scenario just because we are unaware of the benefits of a reset. Both situations can be remedied by putting a pause on things, taking a big step back, and looking at where we are currently and what tools we have/need in order to improve.
I have found that for my own personal business coach growth and success, as well as the success of my clients, it is healthy to embrace a good reset often.
