by Spencer Combs
By far, the most unappealing and disastrous patterns in our lives or business is the ease in which we can fall into a rut. If life gets too uncertain, the rut is a great place to create enough security to keep us safe. As you read this, you actually are in a rut in some part of your life. Whether it’s your health on “cruise control” or your career just keeping the normal pace you have a rut. I only know this because we all have an area that we have put in maintenance mode while we focus on another. It is only natural. This article however is not geared just toward that natural cycle. It is geared toward the reader that feels an overwhelming sense of “ruttism” in all areas of their lives. It’s one thing to be positive or negative, but it’s even worse to just be neutral. Are there benefits to being in a rut? Sure, here are some of them…
By far, the most unappealing and disastrous patterns in our lives or business is the ease in which we can fall into a rut. If life gets too uncertain, the rut is a great place to create enough security to keep us safe. As you read this, you actually are in a rut in some part of your life. Whether it’s your health on “cruise control” or your career just keeping the normal pace you have a rut. I only know this because we all have an area that we have put in maintenance mode while we focus on another. It is only natural. This article however is not geared just toward that natural cycle. It is geared toward the reader that feels an overwhelming sense of “ruttism” in all areas of their lives. It’s one thing to be positive or negative, but it’s even worse to just be neutral. Are there benefits to being in a rut? Sure, here are some of them…
· A sense of security knowing what to expect and letting familiarity set in
· Ability to connect with more people since the objective is to be average – herd mentality
· A feeling of uniqueness by taking on an identity – such as “I’m not like those people”
· Mitigating pain by not getting into risk – statements of concern about people being affected by stepping out of the rut.
· Using a rut as a reason to stall by stating issues of time or resources yet needed
Can you think of more reasons for people to stay in the rut? I’m sure you can. Feel free to share them down below. However, if you do share, be sure to also share your suggestion in getting out of it and why that reason is damaging long term.
We are talking about the rut of mediocrity here. If you are in a spot in your life where you are neither compelled to grow or you have no reason to contribute on a higher level, you are in a rut. So then the question arises… how do we get out of a rut? So many times the rut is familiar and welcomed. I suggest a few strategies.
The first thing that must be done is to get enough emotional leverage on yourself to realize this rut is not serving me or those around me. Ask yourself some of these questions:
· Who else is affected by my inactivity?
· How does maintaining the status quo go against who I really am?
· Does making progress reveal a larger challenge? (this is a conversation for you and your coach)
· Is this place in my life where I thought I would be at this point?
We could add more questions but the idea is just to get you more aware of the pain attached to the rut. The next thing to do is ask questions that engender a compelling future. Here are some examples:
· What could I be doing right NOW to create PROGRESS toward my goals?
· How would moving forward create pride for me and those around me?
· How is this situation and how I’m handling it going to leave footprints for those behind me? (family, co-workers, classmates, etc…)
· What resources do I already have around me (people, technology, knowledge, etc…) that I can use or support to propel my life forward?
Can you think of any other questions? My guess is we could come up with many. The objective here is to drive your focus toward your future and have you emotionally connected to it.
The last step is to take some kind of action. Now here’s the deal. If you are not “motivated” to do huge things now, learn the power of momentum. Realize that most things are not built for rapid velocity, meaning we need to gradually be brought up to speed. Don’t think you will run a marathon if you have not already been training for one. Don’t assume that you will be a millionaire tomorrow unless you have been positioning yourself along the way. High level results involve momentum and that momentum begins with consistent decisions of action.
When it comes to creating momentum, I would suggest shaking things up in your routine first. That will create some new thinking for you. If you are not currently active, go for a walk daily. If you are active and want to pick it up a notch, go with a friend or change locations. Go a different route to work. Change your screen saver or ringtone. Pull out an outfit you haven’t worn in a while. Call an old friend or relative just for the heck of it. Join a club. Take a class. I’m guessing you get the point. Shake up your life, it will pay great dividends in helping you break the pattern of “the rut”.
All of these ideas will help. Share with us your thoughts down below and I promise to respond to any questions. Keep well and keep moving forward!
Spencer
· Ability to connect with more people since the objective is to be average – herd mentality
· A feeling of uniqueness by taking on an identity – such as “I’m not like those people”
· Mitigating pain by not getting into risk – statements of concern about people being affected by stepping out of the rut.
· Using a rut as a reason to stall by stating issues of time or resources yet needed
Can you think of more reasons for people to stay in the rut? I’m sure you can. Feel free to share them down below. However, if you do share, be sure to also share your suggestion in getting out of it and why that reason is damaging long term.
We are talking about the rut of mediocrity here. If you are in a spot in your life where you are neither compelled to grow or you have no reason to contribute on a higher level, you are in a rut. So then the question arises… how do we get out of a rut? So many times the rut is familiar and welcomed. I suggest a few strategies.
The first thing that must be done is to get enough emotional leverage on yourself to realize this rut is not serving me or those around me. Ask yourself some of these questions:
· Who else is affected by my inactivity?
· How does maintaining the status quo go against who I really am?
· Does making progress reveal a larger challenge? (this is a conversation for you and your coach)
· Is this place in my life where I thought I would be at this point?
We could add more questions but the idea is just to get you more aware of the pain attached to the rut. The next thing to do is ask questions that engender a compelling future. Here are some examples:
· What could I be doing right NOW to create PROGRESS toward my goals?
· How would moving forward create pride for me and those around me?
· How is this situation and how I’m handling it going to leave footprints for those behind me? (family, co-workers, classmates, etc…)
· What resources do I already have around me (people, technology, knowledge, etc…) that I can use or support to propel my life forward?
Can you think of any other questions? My guess is we could come up with many. The objective here is to drive your focus toward your future and have you emotionally connected to it.
The last step is to take some kind of action. Now here’s the deal. If you are not “motivated” to do huge things now, learn the power of momentum. Realize that most things are not built for rapid velocity, meaning we need to gradually be brought up to speed. Don’t think you will run a marathon if you have not already been training for one. Don’t assume that you will be a millionaire tomorrow unless you have been positioning yourself along the way. High level results involve momentum and that momentum begins with consistent decisions of action.
When it comes to creating momentum, I would suggest shaking things up in your routine first. That will create some new thinking for you. If you are not currently active, go for a walk daily. If you are active and want to pick it up a notch, go with a friend or change locations. Go a different route to work. Change your screen saver or ringtone. Pull out an outfit you haven’t worn in a while. Call an old friend or relative just for the heck of it. Join a club. Take a class. I’m guessing you get the point. Shake up your life, it will pay great dividends in helping you break the pattern of “the rut”.
All of these ideas will help. Share with us your thoughts down below and I promise to respond to any questions. Keep well and keep moving forward!
Spencer
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