How To Get Out Of Your Rut

I call this the Art of De-Rutting Yourself (even in the midst of global panic)

Definition

No, I’m not talking about that seasonal activity of deer.

One definition of rut is:

An?uninspired?routine?or?pattern?of?behavior?

that?one?continues?unthinkingly?or?

because?change?is?difficult.

Self Awareness

?Exactly who is stuck in a rut?

If you are feeling uninspired you are stuck in a rut.

If your day is just routine, you are stuck in a rut.

If your behavior is a pattern that is predictable and unthinking,

?????you are stuck in a rut.

Why?

We are afraid of the unknown. So, we wallow in our creature comforts right now and avoid thinking about the future.

It feels like we are taking our nice safe cocoon and blowing it all to hell!

Five Steps Out Of Your Rut

Each step calls for you to take action. This isn’t static, it’s a dynamic process. Remember as author, Steven Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People so aptly put it, “Begin with the end in mind.” No, I’m not talking about the end of you, I’m talking about the person you want to become, the lifestyle you dream of living, the experiences you want to feel, and the journey you will travel.

1)???Decide that you will act ????

When you make decision to make a move your feet must follow.

When you decide you will retire early and travel, you will plan it out and take every action to make it happen. When you decide to be a professional artist, you will spend more time learning art and marketing. It starts with decising

Along with the dream-life plan there are many unusual emotions you’ll feel in your journey. You might even have avoided thinking or deciding because you want to avoid the messy emotions around change.

Wouldn't you feel more powerful if you have a plan set up to manage your emotions? What I’ve found is you can either

a.?????Make a mini-plan

i.?????Identify the feeling

ii.????Feel the feeling

iii.???Ask yourself how you can use it for the highest good of all concerned

iv.???Let it go or use the energy it generated to keep you moving to the next step OR

b.????Ignore your emotions

i.?????Wrap them up in a bundle

ii.????Shove them in a file in your mind’s office

iii.???Ignore them

iv.???Pay the mental health price????????

2)???Pick a direction, any forward direction

Someone once said, “If what you are doing doesn’t work, do anything else except what you are doing.” It holds true when you are ‘un-rutting’ yourself and your life.

It does you no good to dwell in the past. When you long for the old days, the pre-pandemic days, you mire yourself in the mud of comparisons. Face the facts. Global panic has been here for two plus years and may never entirely subside.

Will you let it (the panic) stop you from achieving your dream life?

If yes, go read something else.

After this post you will will understand that the power is within you. Here’s a secret. When you connect your power to divine power, you are unstoppable.

3)???Make a move, small or large

Who is judging whether your move is small or large? Yep, only you. What if you said, “I did this thing and now I’m closer to the life I want and yay, me?”

You might never be ready to give away all your belonging, sell your home and go sailing around the world. You might never be ready for such a huge move. It’s ok. There is no need to compare your journey with other people’s journey. Your only competition is against yourself. Where were you a month ago? A year ago? I mean, where were you in terms of accomplishing your dream life?

Maybe right now, your move is THINKING.

Have you thought about taking a retreat, a long weekend with your spouse and talking through possible futures??Maybe he or she could get excited about your dreams, or you could get excited about his or her dream lifestyle. Now is not the time for unilateral decisions. It’s the time to make a new plan together.

Now is the time in your planning to connect your actions to your values more deeply that you ever could while you were building your career and raising your family. For example, you routinely donate food to a food bank. What if you gave your Fridays to serve at the food bank? You could go on a World Vision mission trip. You could be a personal peace ambassador to the world as you travel and make friends. Do you like dogs or cats? You can rescue one.

What is pulling you? What does that quiet voice inside suggest?

Carving time out to ponder and to listen is a vital to your future journey and contentment.

4)???Investigate, evaluate, and adjust

?Really, you have no limits. You can go anywhere, or nowhere. You can learn a different skill or profession. There is nothing to stop you. Except your fear. What is fear??

F.E.A.R is false evidence appearing real OR

F.E.A.R. is finding excuses and reasons

Do you know you can fear success? Yes. What if you get out of your rut, learned a different skill set, start making ten times the money you ever made?

You can also fear failure. Back to the round robin of ‘what-ifs’ that keep you glued in your rut.

I have lived this. After I got a 25-year pin from my employer, I realized that I could also wait and earn a 50-year pin, but what I really wanted to do was to coach. Many of my clients had achieved their financial plans but were at a loss about what to do next. I know I can serve by helping them create a lifestyle plan, but my company wouldn’t authorize financial planning and coaching. My hard choice was to leave my practice and to build a different business.

Maybe you have felt like this or are feeling like this. Letting go of the security of a paycheck is a big decision. Most people just wait until the retirement age they set in their mind 50 years ago, or until they are offered an early out package, or a devastating event happens.

Are you in the phase of life adjustment? Is the global panic enough to shake you up?

When you understand while possibilities are unlimited time is not, you ignite into change.

?Your time on this earth is not unlimited.???????

5)???Stop, look around, and give yourself a hug

This is the place you count your milestones. Go ahead. Write in your NOTES, or notebook. What defining moments have you lived in your life?

I’ll hand you the challenge that was given to me a few weeks ago. Write down 52 defining moments in your life. I bet you can do it almost right away.

I believe each ‘defining moment’ is or leads to a milestone.

When you stop and consider your list, you will see you haven’t always been stuck. What do you think about picking one of your milestones and considering the factors that lead up to the name ‘defining moment?’ Let’s call these prompts. ?Was it something you learned? A revelation through the words of a friend? A book that echoed your feelings? A TED talk? A movie? Something prompted you. Go ahead and research to figure it out.

You can use similar prompts to get out of your rut.

If the milestone was preceded by something you learned, then go sign up for a class.

If a revelation milestone came through words of a friend, then listen hard to all your friends.

If a book pointed you to a milestone, then make a point to read or listen to at least one book every week.

The point is you have some powerful tools that have already kicked out the ends of past ruts. You un-rutted yourself. And now you know it in retrospect.

Here is the Art. The Art of De-rutting Your Life. Are you ready?

If you’ve followed me for a time, you know I like to play. Turning challenges into games is a great way to move yourself out of a rut. Here’s an idea for you that will break a weekly routine into pieces.

Write these ideas down on slips of paper. Add additional ones you find.

·?????Turn off the alarm for the next week

·?????Eat leftover pizza for breakfast

·?????Put your pants own with the other foot first

·?????If your pasta day is Thursday, move it to Saturday and have a Thursday taco

·?????Brush your teeth with your other hand

·?????Take your lunch and find a sunny, quiet place all by yourself and eat slowly

·?????Go to bed 15 minutes earlier

·?????Keep the TV off for 3 days

·?????Take a hike in nature, breathe in the ocean air, the forest or desert

·?????Stand up for the entire next meeting

·?????Find a genuine compliment and lay it on the next person you see

I double-dog dare you.

Write any 31 things like this.

Take the slips and drop them into a bag.

Draw one out each day and just do it no matter how you feel.

Just do them all.

Then reassess where you are.

Can you now get moving past your rut?

I bet you can and with all this practice you will find it easier.

Over time, each personal de-rutting challenge will become second nature when you start to feel stuck.

You will never stay stuck again.