Ctrl+alt+del Redux

I don't know about you but Covid has brought into sharp focus the serious need for self reflection, self evaluation and action. Working in an industry that for the most part doesn’t really exist at the moment and what work there is, isn’t enough to support a large family. The time has come for a serious reboot.

So many cheap posters, metaphors and platitudes come to mind that I could turn to in order to find some motivation through this extremely difficult time. But ultimately three things have stuck with me and have actually motivated me.

The first one is ctrl+alt+del. This famous reboot combination of buttons first invented by David Bradley at IBM around 1980. You can google loads on this but in short he was a programmer who was sick of the system crashing while working on a project for IBM so he quickly invented the keyboard short cut to save time from having to manually re start the system. 

His logic with these buttons was based on their location being so far apart you have to use both hands. That way no one could possibly bump those buttons by accident. So my point is when we reboot. We need to actively engage in the process. Just saying reboot is the platitude but to actually reboot takes a physical action of setting about change. To use both hands across the keyboard of your life and with purpose, strike the buttons and make the change. It can’t happen by accident. 

The second thought about dealing with change was reflecting on “Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead.” by Morihei Ueshiba. Which in turn made me think about working with my bonsais. We must remain like the new shoots; green and subtle - open to the elements and not like the dead wood. Remaining green allows us to be open to shifting, adapting and change.

Lastly I know this expression is a pet hate of someone who has in himself become a huge source of inspiration - Brian Marren. (Shout out to the guys at Arcadia Cogenrati) “Think outside the box” I too hate this expression. Adaption comes from using all the elements within the box. Not outside. Thinking outside the box suggests to me images of someone who couldn’t use what was in the box so they had to go outside it. My ability to change and adapt comes from within me not outside. I hold the keys for change and it is up to me to dig deep and look inside myself and see what capacity I really have to become a-new. 

My personal growth over these last 6 months has allowed me to be a more honest me. I hope that you have found the frustrations of isolation to become a source of growth rather a diminishing experience.

Don’t file down the edges of your potential. Keep them sharp. Work from humility in order to find the humour that will lead to hope.

Happy learning and training. Thanks for letting me share another musing. Don't forget to pop over and subscribe to the YouTube Channel for Combat Circus. YouTube Link.