Ctrl-Alt-Delete Your Life

Ah, the good old "Vulcan nerve pinch", the three-fingered salute, the one-handed solution to many backhanded aggravations. How simple, how effective, how instantaneously gratifying to the mind behind the mouse. Wouldn't it be great if we could take the lessons learned from this simple three-point process into our lives and install them into our own hotkey set-up to help us deal with life's little blue screens of death? Well, we can, provided we are willing to use a little creativity, allow ourselves some literary leeway and don't mind stretching an already strained metaphor until it squeals for mercy. Shall we begin?

First Key: Control

One of the most important things we need to remember about life is that we have the ability to assume and maintain control over about 98% of it. We can't change our genetics (at least not yet, anyway). We can't change our birth parentage. And we can't change the occasional act of God that goes down in our vicinity. Other than that, it's pretty much our show and how we manage in life is determined to a great degree on how willing we are to accept this reality and deal with it in a wise and responsible manner.

Of course, the flip side to having control is taking responsibility. If it's not in your hands, then by default it's not your fault if it doesn't work out. That's a powerful motivator for most people to keep their hands as far away from the keyboard of life as they can get them. It doesn't always get them far, living that way, but at least they can always pretend like there was nothing they could do about it. Acknowledging your ability to determine your own fate is scary - and saddening, when you realize how much you lost holding back in the past. But the sooner you take control, the sooner your life gets back on track. So grab the mouse of self-determination and lets move on to the second key.

Second Key: Alternate

If there's one cool thing about life and the great big Universe we live it in, it's that there are always alternatives. Of course, sometimes we don't like to see that because then we'd have to choose (see Control, above). But if you're willing to stick your neck out a little bit, you might be surprised how far you can see over the bowed and huddled shoulders of those around you.

Among the thousands of alternatives we can choose from, we have options in how we behave, in how we believe, in how (or whether) we work and who we decide to love. We can choose to step away from generations-old prejudices and fears, turn away from unnecessarily narrow paths of advancement and set our sights on far flung shores of being that our companions are afraid to even consider reading about, let alone visiting. Hey, it's not such a small world after all and you've got choices coming at you six ways from Sunday. What's your next move?

Third Key: Delete

Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes we screw up big time. And sometimes we screw up so bad that we're genuinely surprised when the smoke clears and the Universe hasn't been vaporized into a cloud of sulphurous fumes. But that's okay. Sulpher happens. What really matters is how you deal with it and how you let the experience affect you. If you carry it around on your conscience like a poorly written and bloated piece of malware that slows down every process you undertake, then life is pretty much going to suck for you for a very long time. Do it long enough and the bad code can get etched into your brain, flashing mental pop-ups at you at every turn telling you what a stupid, messed up idiot you are and sending up error messages every time you even consider trying to move up a notch or two on the evolutionary ladder. Bah, humbug.

Luckily, we have the power to delete bad files and overwrite bad code with sounder, more productive applications. Why stick with a program that's not working for you? That's what the virus cleaners in life, such as therapists, coaches and inspirational material of all sorts and sources, are for.

So scan your disk for errors, defragment your thinking and if all else fails, remember the power of three. The three keys to life, that is: Control, Alternate and Delete.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

By Now, Im an Expert at Memory Loss
I sat down to write my weekly humor column, but I just could not remember what I wanted to write about. This seems to be an increasingly more common affliction, ever since I turned 40.

Where You Can Find Sympathy
Ask any of my kids and they'll tell you immediately that you'll find it in the dictionary between "sh-" and "syphilis". Wasn't that absolutely cruel and unkind of me to instill in them a nearly total distain for the concept of "sympathy"? With so many individuals in the world suffering in so many ways, how could I possibly be so heartless? I am without a doubt, an uncaring, evil SOB!Well, maybe not.

Selfish Beings
Trouble, trouble, trouble. Nothing but trouble.

Experiences in My Life Prompted Me to Never Give Up
Many people think that their life is a disaster that for some reason they cannot go on, they allow depression to creep in and continually give themselves negative bio-feedback. But you can over come and adapt and achieve anything you want in life.

Afraid of The Light?
Plato once said, "It is easy to forgive a small child afraid of the dark, but not a full-grown man afraid of the light." Since long before Plato light has symbolized truth--facing the reality of our situation in relation to God, to others, and to self.

Synchronicity
Synchronicity: the coincidence of events that seem related but are not obviously caused one by the other (Encarta Concise English Dictionary)All of us from time to time experience events that happen in our lives that seem to lead from one step to another to bring a result to our attention or an experience that we may desire. In fact all the circumstances in our lives are like that.

You Are The One, There is No One Else
At the time I created my web site, I was looking for that one special person that would read something on my site or in my books or articles and become inspired. I was thinking it would move them forward to write or do something really great that would raise peoples consciousness and bring awareness into their lives.

Live the Adventure!
Think of an adventure that you might like to take. Maybe it is a trip to a foreign country or a major destination in your own country.

The Amazing Destructive Power of Tradition
After more than thirty years of studying the Bible I can say with full assurance that Jesus Christ never contradicted himself. There is one instance where it would seem that he did but after careful examination I found that rather than a contradiction it ends up being more of an enigma.

Fear No Evil - How To Avoid Worry And Fear
"Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me."Do these words have meaning for you? Are you able to live them? Is your faith that strong? For most of us, the answer is probably no.

A Path To Peace
The root of discord and violence between people and nations comes from our tendency to forget our humanity. We "forget" our true nature.

Your James Bond Fantasies Become Real
The problem with this is that fantasies usually don't come by chance. You have to plan them yourself.

Realistic Living
" The fountain of content must spring up in the mind, and he who hath so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition, will waste his life in fruitless efforts and multiply the grief he purposes to remove." - Samuel JohnsonThe one person, who is of more importance to you than anyone else in the world, is just - YOU.

How You Can Change Your Destiny
The outer conditions of a person's life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. ~James Allen, As A Man ThinkethThe world you live in arises from the world within.

Dread Disease Dragged Out My Best
In denial, I was slow to accept Multiple Sclerosis. Who, after all, would embrace a diagnosis of the dread disease of no known cause, and for which there was no cure?"The mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society� is to end the devastating effects of MS.

Life is About Choosing
Back to our youth days, we were taught that by being discipline and studying hard we would get good grades and would surely pass the school without failure. Therefore, as a kid we tried our best to work well in studying instead of keep playing out with neighbor kids.

TIES that BIND
I have no idea how it started or who launched it. Nevertheless years after all of the women in my family died (they were the initiators of all of our major family events and thingamajigs).

Just One Person We All Need
I understand that all the self made people of this world, be it:the late Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States, who failed at most levels in his early life. This can de-motivate even the strongest people in the world, but he continued and became the President.

Motivation and Inspiration: Illusions 101
Q: I was wondering if you could recommend any books on motivation and change that are fun to read and that aren't all rah rah, if you know what I mean. Could there even be such a thing as a book that's like a novel or short story that's about motivation?Your question is very well-timed.

Learn From Failure and Confirm with Success
Both failure and success are good..