Change Your Password, Change Your Life
Let’s face it. While passwords serve the needed purpose of protecting our digital information, most times they can just be a pain. To be effective, passwords must be changed often, be unique to each application, and contain a good mix of letters, numbers and characters. And, they shouldn’t be written down! If done the right way, remembering all of our passwords and coming up with new, unique combinations is almost impossible. Below I share two simple strategies for making this mundane task easier and perhaps even inspiring.
1. Use a Password Manager such as LastPass, RoboForm, Dashlane, or Keeper. Password Managers store your log-in information for all the websites you use and allow you to log into them automatically. The master log-in for the secure and encrypted password database is the only one you have to remember. Password Managers not only store your log-ins in a secure environment, but can generate strong passwords for you or provide a strength score for your manually created passwords. PCMag has a great review of some of these managers.
2. An article from the website Medium.com suggests using passwords to inspire and motivate you towards a certain goal.
The author shares his story, “So there it was…This input field with a pulsating cursor, waiting for me to type a password that I’d have to reenter – many times – for the next 30 days. Then, letting all the frustration go…I thought, ‘I’m gonna to use a password to change my life.’
…My password became the indicator. My password reminded me that I shouldn’t let myself be a victim of my recent divorce and that I’m strong enough to do something about it.
My password became: “Forgive@h3r”
I had to type this statement several times a day. Each time my computer would lock. Each time my screen saver with her photo would appear. Each time I would come back from eating lunch alone. In my mind, I wrote Forgive her every day.
The simple action changed the way I look at my ex-wife. That constant reminder that I should forgive her, led me to accept the way things happened at the end of my marriage, and embrace a new way of dealing with the depression that I was drowning into. In the following days, my mood improved drastically.
One month later, my dear exchange server asked me again to renew my password. I thought about the next thing I had to get done. My password became: “Quit@smoking4ever.” And guess what happened. I’m not kidding you. I quit smoking overnight.
This is how I learned that I can truly change my life, if I play it right. I kept doing this repeatedly month after month, with great results…”
Source: Maurico Estrella. Medium (May 15, 2014), Medium.com.
What goals can you write into your passwords? I’d love to hear how your life is changed.
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