“Is there anything more gratifying than a Reset Button? When your cell phone is acting finicky, you reset it and suddenly the world returns to normal, right? Turns out there are a bunch of household items that have one, and knowing a problem can be fixed by pushing a button — instead of shouting and swearing, or worse, calling customer service or a repair service —might just save your sanity.” This statement was the opening salvo when I completed a search for “items with a Reset Button,” so I decided to read on. Perhaps my curiosity would lead me to learn some new fact about a household item. Computer, cellphone, router, outlets, hair dryer…power on/off…reset—often, problem solved!

Only two items in Smith’s list of household items containing a Reset Button surprised me—table saw and washer/dryer. Since my laundry set was purchased in the last millennium and is not “cool enough to have electronic presets,” my Reset Button usually consists of a phone call, “Hey, Dad! What do I do…?” (These days, I receive more of a reply that resembles, “I don’t know, call a repairman!” than reliable assistance, but he’s saved me more than a few dollars over the years, so I guess he’s entitled to retire, even from family). The idea of a Reset Button on a household gadget or appliance is helpful, however, I want to ask us to consider other areas of our lives that periodically need some version of a Reset Button if we desire to flourish.

Personally, there are times when I’ve needed to locate the Reset Button on habits related to physical activity or eating well; other times the need has arisen to redefine some personal goals; or even gain some perspective in the professional world of higher education, but rarely, do multiple areas need a Reset Button all at the same time. However, recently, this is where I found myself, located on the flourishing continuum much closer to the Functioning Not Flourishing side of the scale without any real grasp on the cause of striving-not-thriving malaise. Gratefully, when situations like this arise, the Lord will often open my eyes to provide some clarity on the issue, or at least inspire me to engage in an activity that will help shake things loose.

Some will say what occurred was just a coincidence, that one action did not lead to any other, yet I believe, that my Sustainer used multiple sources to engage my Reset Button during this functioning season. One was an awareness that I was allowing a functioning culture around me to have more influence than it should. Rather than resisting what was happening around me, as I mentioned in Reconceptualizing Time, I was allowing external influences to inhibit the living out of Colossians 3:23. I was working for other people and not for the Lord. And it was having an impact on my internal world. So, instead of accepting other people’s acceptance of the status quo, I asked God to open my eyes to see the people and activities that will help me continue moving forward towards flourishing, to finding my God-Given Space and living that out to the best of my ability.

So, for me, the Reset Button came in an office makeover with the help of wonderful friends and family. Engaging in that process broke loose the writer’s block, the mid-career malaise, and a lack of motivation. Improving my space (that will never have a window, by the way), was a small step to taking control and resisting the complacency I felt in the culture around me. It was a small step forward in not accepting that I was doomed to only functioning, but the Lord has provided an Acre of Diamonds in which He will allow me to flourish!

In efforts to coach and guide Emerging Adults in the process of cultivating a Habit of Awareness so that they are aware of moments when they need to hit their own Reset Button, what experiences have you encountered in life that allowed you to reset? Please consider sharing in the comments below.

References:

Smith, S.R. (2018, February 16). Common household items you didn’t know had reset buttons. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-reset-common-household-items-255863