Sometimes, We Need a Reset
Yesterday was a huge day in the life of Northern Vessel. No, nothing big actually happened. In the overall scheme of things, it probably doesn't even hit the top 25 list of things we've done. We got a reset. We closed for five days for the first time in our company's history. That in and of itself was a weird experience.
The primary driver for the closing was to refinish the floors, a to-do item since dealing with the blood, glass, and wreckage of the first car crash. But since it took seven months to completely fix the shop, and we were only at full strength for 59 days before the second car crash, we just never got around to it. Our mentality was that if we were forced to close the shop for five days, we would get a reset. Here's what happened:
The floors got refinished, of course. They look beautiful!
Repainted the entire interior.
Rebuilt our merch wall, which was destroyed in the first crash.
Introduced the first two items of our new merch line.
Added many visual accents to the interior, including a lot of greenery.
Installed exterior concrete benches to prevent a third car crash!!
Reimagined our exterior signage.
Give the team a breather after our intense summer.
None of these single items were massive shifts, but combined, it feels like we're entering an entirely different universe. Sometimes, we need a reset!
I think about resets often. Some professions have natural, built-in resets. It's one of the reasons I always get jealous of my teacher friends. There's a natural rhythm to their years, which includes intentional resets. Some professions, like mine, feel like one continuous journey with no jumping-off points. Can you relate?
Sometimes, though, we need a reset! This applies to all areas of life, including finances I find that our finances are a reflection of our broader life. When life gets hectic and stressful, so too do our finances. It can feel like too much at times.
The same applies when we're focusing on major financial goals. Saving for a big purchase, getting out of debt, and making investing headway are common examples. When Sarah and I were in the midst of paying off $236,000 of debt (it sucked as bad as you can imagine), we reached a point where we felt beat down. One crappy month ran into the next, and it felt unrelenting. We were making solid progress but were running out of steam. We needed a reset.
We made a controversial decision to pause the debt payoff, save for a trip to Europe, and get away for 10 days. To this day, it was one of the best trips we've ever taken. While, in theory, it slowed our debt payoff progress, it actually sped us up. That reset was exactly what the doctor ordered. We came back with renewed focus and fresh energy.
Are you losing momentum? Do you need a reset? If so, make it happen. It may be exactly what the doctor ordered!
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