Unlocking Potential: The Benefits of a Timely Reset

I have played cello for a number of years – nothing that will take me to Carnegie Hall, but enough for my personal satisfaction. After practice a couple of months ago, I experienced pain in my right hand that lingered. I discussed it with my teacher to understand the problem and how I could fix it. What it boiled down to was the cumulative effect of bad habits I had developed. This left me with two choices: I could make minor adjustments and move on or I could reset and rebuild my technique.

I made the choice to reset and to be honest it hasn’t been fun. I’m working on basics rather than playing music. It’s slow, methodical work and there are no shortcuts. That said, I know the effort will be worth it in the long run. This effort has allowed me to reflect on how to approach other areas of my life that might also benefit from a reset. I have no illusions that I’m going to fix everything. The difficulty is knowing what actually needs to be addressed and being honest with how much effort I’m willing to put towards the remediation.

This is what I’ve developed as my guidelines for a reset:

• Back to basics – realizing that it’s time to get back to fundamentals and shore up things that are important;
• Course correction – realizing that the current path isn’t accomplishing what I want and it’s time to try something new;
• New priorities – realizing that conditions or circumstances have changed so it’s time to turn the page.

I don’t pretend that a reset will solve everything, but perhaps it will provide the perspective needed to move forward.