You will go through many phases of your life, hopefully getting wiser, more confident and fulfilled along the way.

In a way, the journey of humanity is a journey of 'coming home', where we need to learn how to shed all the beliefs and patterns and facades that we have been conditioned into. When people on their deathbed feel true peace, it's because they have understood the journey of life and can see, with humour and perhaps a bit of sadness, the games they were playing when they were younger. So much energy wasted on trying to fit in, trying to impress others, and trying to prove themself.

These conditioned needs and yearnings run deep, and it is often not trivial to transcend them.

It helps to understand that we're all fragile souls that are looking to find security, safety, and worthiness, and from there yearn to find and live a deeper purpose.

When you see life as a journey this way, you can see your own life from an elevated perspective and have more compassion for the struggles that show up. You will also begin to see the journey ahead.

The biggest risk is to live life on autopilot and not even aware of why you have emotional triggers and scars in some situations, and why you are repeating the same patterns again and again. This just causes repeated pain and lots of regret. It is, however, possible to get ahead of the curve by listening to life's messages and following them.

Feeling misalignment between your internal state and external environment is not a bad thing. In fact, you should expect them to happen. If they don't happen, it means you're not evolving. As you progress through life, your life systems, habits, environments, and identities don’t always evolve with you. And eventually, you outgrow the life you are in.

The warning signs of needing a reset aren’t always loud though. Sometimes it’s subtle discontent. Other times it’s the slow erosion of clarity.

Sometimes you don't even know that you're living a life that's not true to you because you're busy meeting foundational needs. I've been there, for example in my twenties when I chased professional success because it looked impressive. In these cases, you often don't reset your life until something breaks: a job, a relationship, a body, or a sense of self.

In other cases you feel the dissonance more strongly.

You may ignore it for a while.

But at some point the pain of staying where you are is bigger than the pain of changing.

The issue then is that many of us approach resets as an intellectual task.

You apply a problem solving mindset to "fix" the "problem", instead of seeing it for what it is - your evolution towards a more authentic and aligned version of yourself.

When this happens, you approach it like a meeting, scheduling 30 or 60 minutes during a busy day (note: this does not work).

You procrastinate on it because it feels ambiguous so you prefer to avoid it. And you're busy, so it's tempting to just keep going.

You think that maybe you can just push through and work a bit harder and then it will all come together, even though you know deep inside that that won't happen.

When you finally get to it, you focus on finding solution, instead of sitting with the discomfort of not knowing. Maybe a weekend away, or a new app, or a new habit will make things better.

You might make impulsive changes (quit, buy something extravagant, shave your head, or break up) without deeper clarity.

In most cases, however, you return to work Monday morning and quickly fall into the same patterns as before.

If you skip the inner reset, the outer changes won’t stick.

Even if you change your external environment, you’ll just recreate the same patterns in a new setting.

You are both a physical being and an energetic being. In daily life, your physical being often dominates, chasing immediate needs: solving problems, filling perceived gaps, and meeting short-term demands.

You feel like you never have enough time.

The thing is, your spiritual being (or inner knowing) is constantly sending you messages, if you would just slow down and listen.

Life resets work exactly because they help you do that. They are a pattern interrupt that create the for stillness and inner connection. That's also why a longer reset will go deeper than a shorter one.

Broadly speaking, a reset requires that you go through 3 phases

It starts with releasing, where you let go of the roles, patterns, and identities that no longer reflect who you are.

This creates space for being, the often uncomfortable, in-between phase where you’re no longer who you were, but not yet who you’re becoming. It’s a space of stillness, reflection, and deep listening.

From that space, becoming naturally unfolds, not through force, but through clarity emerging from within. New direction, energy, and alignment arise as you reconnect with the deeper version of yourself that is ready to take form.

There are different types of resets depending on where you are and what you need. Not every reset needs to be a sabbatical or a life pivot.

There are layers to this. And each has its role.

Mini reset (2-3 hours): Sometimes, just a couple of hours is enough, where you step away from the noise, turn off your phone, and reconnect with yourself to regain clarity in the middle of a busy week or during the weekend. This can include journaling, nature walk, and a values check-in.

Half-day reset (4-6 hours): When you feel off but not lost, it can be helpful to carve out several hours to pause, reflect, and realign your direction. This is especially true after a period of intensity, or at the start of a new season or year.

Multi-day reset (2-5 days): When you’re navigating bigger transitions or feeling a deeper sense of misalignment, taking several days allows you to fully step back, disconnect from daily routines, and create the spaciousness needed for deeper reflection. Resets that span days and nights add another layer, as your subconscious continues to process and integrate beneath the surface while you sleep. These resets can include travel, a break from work, deep journaling, visioning, and solitude.

Multi-month reset (1-3 months): In some seasons, especially after burnout, major life changes, or identity shifts, a longer reset is needed. This extended period creates space to fully step back from existing routines and structures, recalibrate your priorities, and redesign your life with greater clarity and alignment. They often involve deep identity work and can include elements like a sabbatical, focused reflection, coaching, skill-building, or simply creating enough space to let new perspectives emerge.

I’ve done the first three resets numerous times. One of the deepest ones was when I attended a 5 day personal development retreat that included deep energy work, 24 hours of silent contemplation, and higher states of consciousness.

I do mini resets at least once a quarter.

I've never done a multi-month reset as I've never felt the need for a radical life change. I did take 3 months off a few years ago, although during this time I was experimenting with various business models and working most of the days.

In any case, the 4 types of resets are not a checkbox exercise, but rather tools to be applied if and when you have a specific need.

Resetting your life doesn’t mean quitting everything. It means becoming honest enough to stop living on autopilot.

Stop looking for a quick fix like a new job, a new city, or a new identity.

What you need is a pattern interrupt, and a conscious break from outdated roles, routines, and assumptions.

You need to let go of what no longer fits.

You need to create space to pause, reflect, and listen.

The reset you’re craving isn’t about building a new life, it’s about uncovering a truer one.

But it’s not a reset if nothing actually changes. Insight without action keeps you stuck in the same patterns. The reset only becomes real when you go deep, release old patterns, and translate the newfound clarity into new choices.

Each type of reset serves a different function. The key is not waiting too long. Small resets done regularly can prevent major breakdowns later on.

The more you practice resetting with intention and courage, the more you stay connected to who you’re becoming.

As an additional advanced practice, get into the habit of tuning into yourself on a daily/weekly basis, for example through 1 minute check-ins during the day or 5-10 minutes of silence. In this way, you can continuously adapt your life proactively. The goal here is to avoid waiting until life forces your hand.

When you make this a habit, you no longer need to wait for life to force a reset. Instead, you stay in quiet dialogue with what’s emerging, adjusting as you go.

You start following a path that keeps revealing itself bit by bit. Life will start to unfold without struggle.

Your next chapter won’t appear by pushing harder.

It will reveal itself when you get out of autopilot and create space for it to emerge.