01/18/2023
5 Ways To Get Out Of Your “Rut”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel less than great. Low, grouchy, fed up, and bored are all words you could use to describe what I’m like on those days, and I’m probably not the best company. The thing is, days like those are part of being human; they're not electives. There will always be off days, and that’s okay.
But what happens when you get a whole string of those off days, maybe lasting weeks, months, or even years? Too many of us say that we’re in a rut, feel stuck, fed up, or bored, and admit that we don’t want things to be that way, but we don’t know what to do to change. That’s the problem: when you’re in a rut, you don’t have the energy or motivation to change things for the better, and it’s tough to find the insight or resources you need to make that jump.
Here are five fun and easy ways you can use right now to climb, or better yet, leap out of the rut and start to get something better for yourself.
1. Do Something Differently
Life tends to run smoothly when we establish systems and routines for things, but the problem comes when things run too smoothly and we become blind to any ideas or choices that sit outside of our routine. All the stuff we do every day becomes the norm, running on autopilot, and it becomes our whole world.
Start with making one or two simple changes to your day—be it at breakfast time, your radio station, gym routine, route to work, lunch routine, etc. Don’t worry about what the changes are or whether they’re right or wrong; just make a couple of simple choices that will serve you well.
Doing something differently or changing parts of your routine instantly takes you out of the norm and allows you to shake off the things that make you feel confined. Step out of your routine, and you’ll be in a position where you’re able to make different choices, see things differently, and get a different result.
2. Use your Intuition
Your intuition is a powerful ally, and we all have it, even though you might not recognize it. The dictionary says that intuition is:
a. The act or ability to know or sense something without using your brain; immediate knowledge.
b. Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.
c. A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.
One of the best friends you'll ever have in life is your intuition, and tuning in to it and learning to trust it is something that can have some truly remarkable effects. Accessing your intuition is a bit like working and developing a muscle, but unfortunately, it can be harder to locate than a bicep or quadricep, which tend to stay in the same place. Here are some quick tips for accessing your perfect day. This idea came to me a few years ago when a good friend suddenly asked me, "What would be your perfect day?" I’d never been asked that before, and I found myself spontaneously making up a story—telling her about my perfect day from the moment my eyes flickered open to the moment my head hit the pillow.
I went through each part of the day, telling her what I was doing, who I was with, where we were, how it felt, and what happened next. Bit by bit, and without even thinking about it, I’d put together a rich, colorful, exciting, and comforting day, which still holds true as my perfect day. The best part is that you can start incorporating aspects of your ideal day into your daily life or working towards making some of it a reality. For example, in part of my perfect day, I visit a company where I’m helping the directors and employees focus on their strengths and create an environment where people love to work and can be their best—and that was even before I knew that there was such a thing as coaching or that I could be a coach. My Perfect Day has now become like a good friend of mine whom I can call on whenever I want to.
So what’s your perfect day? Don’t think too much about it, and don’t worry about it sounding silly or too grand. Just shoot from the hip and see what comes out naturally for you. Write down words, ideas, themes, or a whole narrative—even draw pictures if you want to. Have fun with it, play with it; today is your ideal day.
5. Get Some Fun, Fulfillment, and Freedom
The Three Fs—fun, fulfillment, and freedom—encompasses a lot of what people are looking for in life and also contains the solutions to having, doing, and being those things. Here are some definitions:
Fun: a source of enjoyment or pleasure; playful activity.
Fulfillment: to bring into actuality; to complete; a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.
Freedom: the capacity to exercise choice and free will; frankness or boldness; and the absence of constraint in choice or action.
Read those again. Those things are huge, deep, and broad and are a lot simpler than we make them.
Where are you in relation to each of the Three Fs? How much of each do you have right now? How much of each do you want? Whatever the gap, recognize that it can be closed and that you can close it. What would things be like if you were to close that gap? What would happen if you climbed a point or two on the fun scale? What if you could increase your level of Fulfillment or Freedom by one point? How would that feel? Pretty good, right? So what one thing can you do right now to help you get more?
By themselves, each of the Three Fs is a powerful thing and can really help to move you forward, enjoy where you are, and feel alive. But when the Three F's come together... Well, keep your hat and keys close by.
Following these simple steps, you will be blasting through your “rut” in no time!
