How It Works
The Human Reset Button ™ is a tool uniquely crafted to help change habits of mind. Specifically, we use the HRB to learn over time to be more present, focused and mindful.
The HRB works as a “cue” to help you to recognize your thinking patterns, return to present, and focus. And while often we are thinking positively and productively, sometimes we aren’t. And when our mind isn’t actively engaged in an activity, when we aren’t in “the zone,” we become prone to negative thoughts, or what some call negative “self talk.” This cripples performance.
The conscious act of wearing the bracelet represents your commitment to become more aware of your thinking. Indeed, a major tenet of mindfulness is simply being aware of your thoughts (without judging them). Only then can we begin to understand that our thoughts - particularly our negative thoughts - don’t have to become the story of our lives.
Just seeing the bracelet on your wrist improves self-awareness.
Unfortunately, many people never acquire the skill to become aware of their thinking. So when negative thoughts emerge, these folks spiral down the rabbit hole. Great athletes have long recognized the importance of this concept and create rituals to “reset.” Think of a basketball player about to shoot a free throw with the game on the line. Usually we see a ritual - perhaps a couple dribbles, then a pause and deep breath, then the shot. This is a great example of a reset.
We don’t usually have something like taking a free throw to force us to stop and pause during the flow of a game or our lives. So we need to train ourselves to recognize when the anxiety or tension comes, then to try to release it by coming back to present. This is when we click the reset button.
Becoming more aware of thoughts and thus more present doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice - “reps” - just like getting good at free throws.
And it’s unreasonable to assume that negative thoughts will disappear altogether - that’s not human nature. It is reasonable to assume though (and it’s important to be confident here) that with effort and practice, one will become a better thinker. This has implications for improved happiness, performance and overall well-being.
A key to using the human reset bracelet is an understanding of the processes at work - what we refer to as: Stop, Click, Reset.
1: Stop
- “Cueing,” is the action of giving a clue or prompt in order to receive a reaction. Just like when someone cues an actor with his lines by saying the first few words of the line. The reset bracelet is a visual cue for ones-self.
- Cueing promotes focus and mindfulness - Use the cue to return from your thoughts, to your breath. Even during a busy time, pausing to take a few relaxed deep breaths can be very beneficial.
2: Click
- This is where we acknowledge that we are becoming present. The click represents a conscious awareness of thoughts.
- We also may be able to "restructure" our thoughts - this is a technique for understanding unhappy feelings and moods, and for challenging the sometimes-wrong "automatic beliefs" that can lie behind them. As such, you can use it to reframe the unnecessary negative thinking that we all experience from time to time.
3: Reset
- The brain can change itself through learning and “doing” repeatedly - and for some kind of reward (i.e.: feeling good, feeling happier and more hopeful, a better life experience, less stress) Your brain will react to the new experiences that come as a result of the new restructured and deliberately healthy thinking by LIKING IT, and burning new neural pathways.
- This has major implications for improved happiness, resilience, and performance whether you’re in the boardroom, or on the athletic field.
Individuals and teams can use the bracelet in several ways.
- Individuals and individual team members can use it for their own personal practice as outlined above.
- A team can, as a group, recognize a negative pattern, occurrence or direction, and call a “reset.” For athletic teams, this might happen during a timeout, halftime or even during play. Team leaders can point out reset moments, thus helping to train the team to move through them into a positive mindset.
- For a business team, there may be an occasion during an internal meeting where a pause and re-framing of the direction is warranted. Or, a less spontaneous situation may arise such as a disappointing sales outcome, loss of a big client or marketing snafu creating a “reset” opportunity.
- An athletic team can develop a team mantra such as “Yes we can” or “one play at a time” or “never give up” that the team can then use for their group reset.
- A business mantra might be “finish the job” or “focus on the customer” or “be a better listener”.
- All of these suggested techniques can be mixed and matched.
- Ultimately, the HRB is a gateway to the path of self-improvement through heightened self-awareness and an understanding that most limits are simply imposed by the mind and thus, can be deconstructed by the mind as well.
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