Life is a path well-traveled, which means you’re bound to find ruts others have left behind.
It’s easy to fall into one of these ruts. Whether it’s one you carved for yourself or one left behind by a fellow traveler on this path, you will find ruts all over the place.
Often, they sneak up on us and we don’t realize we’re in one until it’s almost too late. Another glass of wine and a new relationship to fill a hole in yourself won’t pull you out of the rut. However, the fact that you realized you’re in a rut means you still have a sense of passion burning inside you.
You still know what you need to accomplish and you still want to make something happen. Often, you just need a little help figuring out what that something is.
1. What do I want?
The first problem that comes with a rut is knowing where that rut leads. Have you lost sight of your goals or shifted them to the point where you can’t see where they lead? Are you working for short-term, unsatisfying goals?
Make a list of all the things you are actively working to accomplish at the moment, and if you find that list being too short, you might be in a rut. It’s time to do some soul-searching and figure out how you got here and where you need to go.
2. How attainable are my goals?
While being an astronaut is a very fun goal to pursue, it might be a little bit out of reach if you don’t have a graduate degree in astrophysics.
Assess where you are in life. What skills do you possess and what makes you a unique, special snowflake. Think outside the box and while you should never hinder yourself from dreaming too big, try to keep rationality on the table too.
3. What is getting in the way of what I want?
Once you’ve established what it is you’re looking to achieve (not a small feat, I assure you), it’s time to weed out what you don’t want. What trivialities are standing between you and those attainable goals?
Weeding vices and negativity out of your life is challenging, but attainable. You simply need to have clear enough goals that have small steps of success along the path.
4. Are there behavioral patterns I’ve fallen into?
One of the tricky things about falling into a rut is that there isn’t a clear reason why it’s happened. There are often some unsavory behavioral patterns associated with them, but those can be hard to pit out.
Anything from negative thinking to self-talk that tears you down can contribute to the rut. Identifying the negative patterns of behavior is tricky, but necessary.
5. What have I done or not done to get here?
Reflection is a theme here. If you want to make a change, you have to be willing to admit your flaws and love yourself enough to change and keep on truckin’. Pulling yourself away from the rut is possible, but it takes work and contemplation.
What contributed to you achieving goals you wanted to complete, and failing to get where you’d like to be. This last one is a doozy, so don’t take it lightly. But, if you answer these questions honestly with yourself and for yourself, then you’ll find yourself in a much better place.
[Featured Image Credit: Flickr]