For the last few days, I’ve been helping a friend research ways to get out of a life rut. You know the feeling: when it doesn’t feel like you’re getting anywhere fast, when you can’t see the end of the road, or when you’re just feeling totally bored with everything. It’s amazing how debilitating a life rut can be! Breaking out gets harder the longer you stay stuck, too, so here are our top ways to get out of a life rut. If you’re feeling a bit stuck yourself, give some of them a try!
One of the top ways to get out of a life rut, according to motivational experts, is to picture what it is that you are hoping to achieve. What are your big dreams? Are you saving towards a new house? Dreaming about a new car? Lusting after an amazing vacation? Do you daydream about being a senior in your company, or being well-known in your industry? Whatever it is that you are striving towards, remind yourself of it frequently. If you find it slips your mind too often, try cutting out photographs and putting them on your desk or in your purse.
Listen to your gut instincts. Got an overwhelming urge to apply for a random job you’ve seen? Do it. Feeling the urge to go for drinks with the boss? Go. Your gut only speaks up if it’s important, so learn to respect it and listen to it. It could guide you towards making big decisions. Eventually, you’ll learn to rely less on the opinions of other people around you, and more on your own intuition, which will ensure you stay on the right path, and out of the ruts.
In a year's time, how do you want to feel? Answer honestly. Now, think about your answer. If you answered negatively, you are likely to be already stuck in a life rut. That means you’ll need to spend time working up the energy to move forward, and escape that rut. After all, in a year’s time, you’ll be a year older. Don’t you want to be a year better, too?
If you aren’t sure why you are in a rut, try preparing yourself better. Yes, it really could be as simple as that. If your mind isn’t in the right place, or you fail to set targets, you have a high risk of getting stuck in a rut. So start to prepare yourself better, and you’ll be able to pull yourself right out of that rut, and keep on going. Get ready for greatness by planning for it, and acting like you’ll get there. You’ll blow your own mind.
Another thing that life coaches often notice is that people stuck in life ruts often hang around with other negative people. Misery loves company, and you become the five people that you spend the most time with. It’s very possible that your rut could be caused entirely by the people that you are choosing to mingle with. Take a serious look at the people around you, and their personalities. You can probably already identify the Negative Nancies – now you just need to work on either improving the overall mood, or distancing yourself.
If you’re going to jump out of a rut, you need to be 100% responsible for your actions. That means you need to let go of blame, and accept that you are the only person with the power and motivation to change your situation. Now you’ve realized that you are in a rut, stop complaining and take active steps to change your situation. Take responsibility, and make yourself accountable. You’d be surprised how much progress you make.
While there are a number of ways to get out of a life rut, the most important one is to do something. Anything. Don’t say that you’ll try – that’s not good enough. You’ve almost admitted defeat before you’ve started. Do something, and do it now. Take a chance. Try something new. Walk a different route. Regardless of what the outcome of the new activity is, you’ll learn something, and feel a little less stuck. You’ll be taking a big step in the right direction.
Of course, there are other ways to get out of a life rut, including hiring motivational coaches, mentors or life coaches who will help you work out exactly what you want. Just taking these steps will help you break out of that rut, though, and have you back on track in no time. You’ll also be left brimming with confidence, and full of self-belief. I call that a win! Do you know any great ways to get out of a life rut? I’d love to share them with my friend!