If only life had keyboard shortcuts
By Tim Wilson
For the better part of my life, I’ve spent more time on a computer keyboard than I might like. My nagging carpal tunnel issues are evidence of that.
Don’t get me wrong. Being old enough to have used a typewriter with carbon paper, correct-it tape and Whiteout, I’ll take an electronic keyboard every time over the old Underwood.
In fact, with all my years spent clacking away on a keyboard, I’ve come to see how very valuable the functions it has available would be in everyday life. That’s right. Why can’t we have simple keystrokes or keyboard shortcuts to use in real life.
Think about it. Aren’t there more than a few people – think bosses, exes, coaches, colleagues, neighbors – you wish you could eliminate from your life with the press of a Delete key?
But just as important is my all-time favorite keyboard shortcut, Control Z – undo. Maybe on second thought you were too quick to act when you decided to delete somebody or something from your life. Good old control Z allows you a second chance before you’re committed. Perhaps you were a bit too hasty making a decision or taking action. Control Z could save the day, your marriage, career or even your life.
On the flip side of Control Z is one we use less often, Control Y or redo. Sometimes we get something right that goes so well we wish we could just do it all over again. Control Y would allow us to instantly repeat that triumph.
Besides the good old Delete key, there’s that other key that needs no explanation of the value it could bring to real life – Escape. How many times have you thought, “I wish I could just get out of here”? Press escape and you’re rescued from your latest mistake.
What about the times you see someone else nail it? You cannot imagine how they came up with that clever solution to a problem or creative approach to overcoming an obstacle. Don’t sweat it. Cut and Paste baby! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and you can’t beat the price if there’s no copyright involved.
Sometimes in life there is a way out of a predicament that you can’t see but you would if you just looked at things a little differently. Of course, to course correct successfully you must recognize the need to adopt a different perspective and figure out how to do that.
That’s easy on the keyboard – when in doubt just Right Click on the mouse. It doesn’t always work but it has a much higher rate of success than banging your head on the keyboard.
Maybe that’s the lesson to take from navigating what we used to call word processors. When in a program or online, clicking on help may work but sometimes that digital assistant just doesn’t know what you need or it’s not available. Most often, the best approach to a problem is to first look inward and discover where we went wrong or open ourselves up to seeing a solution that’s right in front of us.
