Author Archives: David Caban

Shaving is the second thing I do every morning after getting out of bed.  

You can probably guess what I do first ’cause you probably do it first, too.

Anyways, after I’m done with that business, I proceed on automatic pilot to wash my hands and face. 

Next I grab my Edge Shaving Gel, squirt a small blob onto my hand and proceed to lather up. 

Then I run my Atra razor under hot water, and begin to drag the razor across my face, wiping away the shaving creme like I’m mowing the lawn.  

(No, I don’t wear a top hat as I shave.)

I continue until my cheeks and chin feel smooth as a baby’s bottom.

When I’m done, I wash my face again.

Boomski!  Over the course of about 7 minutes, I am AWAKE and ready for the day!

(Nothing like dragging a sharp razor across your face to make sure you’re awake and alert.)

Then, on with the rest of my routine.

Daily Routines are Good for Us

I’m going to take a wild guess that you probably have your own “morning routine”.  

You do the same actions, in roughly the same order, every single morning to get yourself up and going for the day.  

Think about this:  when follow a routine, you’re on autopilot … doing what needs to be done … usually without complaint or argument.  

All you have to do is START your routine, and you work straight through to the end.

Heaven forbid you interrupt your routine.  That’s why some people constantly misplace their house keys (or car keys) when they come home.  

If you have an area of your life where you are feeling lost, or struggling to “make things happen”, it’s probably because you don’t have a solid routine yet.  

For example, while my morning routine gets me up and moving, I struggled to operate a home-based business for a while because I didn’t have a daily routine to follow.  

I would get easily sidetracked with checking email or other low priority activities  instead of doing what I needed to do to get clients and generate income.  

Now I have 8 core things I do every day, and I am seeing greater success.  

No, I still don’t do them on autopilot every day, but I do have a written checklist to follow and that keeps me on-task and productive.

So, if you’ve wanted to start an important goal but struggle to get started … like writing a book … or learning a new skill … or getting a home-based business off the ground …. you have to find a way to make the daily actions part of your routine.  

If you’ve always wanted to begin a healthy lifestyle … or even an exercise program … you have to find a way to make health/exercise a part of your daily routine.  

Simply find something small you can do in 7-10 minutes to get you started.  That’s what has been working for me.

Where are you struggling to develop a productive routine in your life?  Drop a note in the comments below!  

P.S.  If you would like to know more about the 8 core things I do every day, click here, enter your information, and you’ll learn about the program I’m using.  

Continue reading A Life Lesson I Learned While Shaving This Morning→

This past December, I received the perfect gift at a white elephant gift exchange and it holds a valuable message for both you and me.

(And no, it wasn’t an actual “white elephant”.)

If you’ve never been involved with a white elephant gift exchange, here’s the basic premise:  

Basics of a White Elephant Gift Exchange

Find something in your house which you’ve thought of getting rid of, but can’t quite bring yourself to throw away.  The goal is to find something that is inexpensive, funny, gently used or something you’ve always wanted to regift.  

You wrap up your find and take it to the party where it ends up in a pile with other such gifts.  

There are dozens of variants to the game, but here is what my Toastmasters club likes to do:  

You get called up to the front of the room and you pick a gift from the pile (not your own gift, of course).  

Then …

Before you unwrap it …

You give a short one minute speech about how useful the gift will be in the new year, or how it will remind you of past Holidays, or how it will be perfect for your life.

THEN you open the gift you chose.  

Inevitably, once everyone sees the actual gift, they burst out laughing.  

Up to speed?  Good.

So here’s my white elephant gift story …

How I Got The “Perfect” Gift

This year, when my turn came at my Toastmasters club, I grabbed my gift choice and told everyone how I knew it would be the perfect gift to help me in 2014 …

… because every year I’ve played this game I have received “the perfect gift”.  

I used my one minute to tell how one year I received a UPS-Driver-Bobblehead, which was a reminder to stop rushing around so fast.  

I told how one year I received a Holiday-themed cheese spreader, which was a reminder to stop taking on new projects and spreading myself so thin.  

Yet another year I received a box of tissues, cough drops and teabags, which was a reminder to focus on my health for the year.  

So … since I knew all my past white elephant gifts had been so perfect, I was confident this one would be, too.  

In fact, I said I was willing to put it where I could look at it every day.

… and then I opened it.

And yes, it was the PERFECT gift!  

Here it is:  

I read it out loud to my club.  “It’s something called Farkle, the classic dice-rolling, risk-taking game!“

Perfect!! 

You’re probably wondering … “how is this a ‘perfect’ gift … and how does it apply to me?” 

Here’s how I see it:  

The gift of Farkle was a reminder to me to be more playful in 2014 … and be willing to roll the dice every once in a while and take a risk.  

Good message, don’t you think?  

Works for me. 

Probably works for you, too. 

Well, I’ve taken it to heart in 2014.

I’m rolling the dice.  Taking a risk.  

Something small.  Outside my comfort zone.

I’m starting a new blog.

This blog that you’re reading.  

See, I bought this domain, rebootyourself.com, 14 years ago because I thought it sounded cool.  I was teaching computer software to adults at the time, and the name simply resonated with me.  

My original plan was to build a big expansive website on the domain.  

I made big plans.  Did hours and hours of research.  

But never published anything.  

Frankly … I thought I had to be perfect right away.  

I was afraid people wouldn’t like whatever I did and I wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection.  

So … I froze up and didn’t do anything.  

I wimped out.

Sound familiar?  

You get a great idea … an idea that requires a little risk … a little roll of the dice … but you’re afraid of what will happen so you never take action.  

Maybe you have an idea to write a book … but get overwhelmed and someone talks you out of it. 

You say “someday I’ll …”

Maybe you always wanted to start your own business … but you don’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars of capital to buy a franchise … or don’t know how to evaluate good opportunities. 

You say “someday I’ll …”

But you know how this works … “someday” never comes.  

And you start “playing small” and playing it safe in your life.  Never following through on your grand plans. 

Like me.  

Well, it’s a new year.  

Time for a fresh, clean start.

Time to roll the Farkle dice …

Time to be more playful …

Take a risk … do something small … just outside your comfort zone to get started.

And play the game every day. 

P.S.:  If you’re curious about the blogging platform I’m using, it isn’t WordPress.  While I certainly like WordPress, I don’t like the constant technical upkeep of updates and making sure all the plugins are compatible with each other.

If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of starting your own blog …

… sharing your own ideas …

… building an audience …

… maybe even making some money online …

… and don’t want the technical headache of WordPress …

… then take a small step … click here … enter your name and email address … and watch the video that finally got me into blogging action after 14 years.  

Continue reading A White Elephant Gift Story with a “Perfect” Ending→

As you browse through this website, and as you take in the content and ideas here, eventually you’ll start to wonder …

“What’s with the name? Reboot Yourself?  What does it mean?”  

The name was something I came up with one day in late 1999.  At the time, I was working as a software trainer for a well-known software training company.

One day I was thinking about the famous three-finger salute.  

Not the Boy Scout salute.  

Not the salute used by Serbian nationals.

The famous computer-based three-finger salute:  CTRL + ALT + DEL

If a computer locks up, you press the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys at the same time and the computer will reboot.  

You might remember using it whenever your computer chose to freeze up or show you the famous “Blue Screen of Death.”

This was known as a “soft boot” of your computer.  Basically it was a way to restart your computer without having to power down completely.  

Well, one day a question popped into my head …

“You can reboot a computer … but can you reboot yourself?”

And immediately I answered “yes!”. 

If you ever feel stuck in certain areas of your life … locked up … frozen … simply follow these three keys to reboot yourself:

1.  Take Control

Recognize and appreciate the fact that you have the power to take control of your life at any time.  

Doesn’t matter what area of your life … finances … career … health … relationships … income … marriage … there is always something over which you can take control.  

For example, if your finances are a mess, you can take control by starting to track how much money you spend every week.  

2.  Look for Alternatives

There’s a famous saying that goes “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten.”

Albert Einstein defined the word “insanity” as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Once you recognize you have control, then you can begin to look for alternative solutions, ideas, and procedures that can get you unstuck.

3.  Delete what holds you back

There are two things that tend to hold you back from true success in life.  

One is other people and their preconceived notions of who you “should” or “shouldn’t” try to be as a person.  Sometimes you have to give up (“delete”) friendships and relationships in your life that no longer serve you.  

The second factor that can hold you back from success is your own beliefs about what you can or can’t do with your life.  I invite you to take a close look at your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs, and get rid of the ones that are holding you back and keeping you stuck.  

So that’s the story behind “reboot yourself”.

CTRL + ALT + DEL

Take control … look for alternatives … delete the people and beliefs that hold you back.  

We’ll be exploring methods for all those steps here on this blog.  

Until next time,

P.S.:  If you’ve been thinking about and looking for a way to take control of your income, I might have a solution for you.  It has worked for others, and might work for you. 

Click here, enter your name and email, and watch how lots of people are turning their financial problems around. Of course, no guarantees it will work for you … but at least take a few minutes to check it out and judge for yourself. 

Continue reading This Three-Finger Salute Holds the Key to Your Success→