Have You Ever Felt Stuck in a Job, Relationship or Life?
The way you feel about your life flows on from the decisions you make every single day.
All of us want to make positive and lasting change in our lives. Whether the change we’re seeking involves our relationships, our health, our finances, or our careers — on some level we feel “stuck”.
Conventional wisdom says you have two choices when you feel stuck. You can resign yourself to dissatisfaction or take action to make a fresh start. The first choice is bleak and the second one is scary — you change your job, city or partner, and yet problems occur because you changed circumstances, not your psychology.
There is a 3rd choice. You can escape a pesky rut by shifting your perspective. By choosing to feel differently about your circumstances.
As always it comes down to mindset.
Admit when you are in a rut
No one intends to go off-track. It happens overtime.
Being stuck is something you may not even notice at first. It builds over time. Yet the longer a rut continues; the harder it is to break free. It's comforting to stay at the same level of unhappiness.
Humans are good at rationalizing their unhappiness and sabotaging their own lives. Signs that you are stuck in a rut can include:
- Operating on autopilot.
- Struggling to come up with ideas.
- Indulging in negative self-talk.
- Negativity toward whose who are doing well.
- Wistful thinking but without taking action.
Do you recognize yourself in any of the above?
If so, congratulations! You have taken an important step towards escaping a pesky rut.
Shake up your routine
Inspiration is everywhere — but you need to exit your comfort zone to find it.
To get out of a rut you don’t need to take drastic actions. Try doing things differently or spontaneously each day. When you make small, incremental changes you achieve a compounding effect until one day you realize you are no longer in a rut!
I walk 10,000 steps every day. That’s a little over 7 km. I walk everywhere instead of driving a car or riding a bike. I get off the train a few stations early. I grab a sandwich and head to the park instead of eating at my desk.
Doing steps injects spontaneity into my life. I have become an urban explorer. I make discoveries in my neighborhood that excite and intrigue me every single day.
Take better care of yourself
You deserve to have “sparkle” in your life.
Just living is not enough. Look after yourself with healthy food, adequate sleep and exercise. People who exercise feel better about themselves and enjoy life more.
By the same token, spend time with uplifting people. Limit your exposure to needy types or emotional vampires who wear you down.
Taking care of yourself is not selfish; it ensures that you have the energy you need to stay focused and excited about your life
Diversify your interests
Know that rough patches are usually temporary.
There are many things outside of our direct control. That’s why it’s a mistake to focus on one aspect of life too much. Shifting focus towards an area of your life that is going well is a good way to stay positive when blips occur.
When I look back over my life, I could never predict where I am now. I am excited that 6 months from now I will likely be doing something I never imagined today. This motivates me to try new things.
Make lasting change by shifting your perspective.
A desire to be happy is not wrong. But happiness is more about the journey than the destination. Chasing goals and learning new things is what makes most people happy.
Anyone can get into a rut, what matters is how fast you recognize you’re in one, and take action to get out of it. No matter how small — do something tangible every day that moves you closer toward one of your goals.
This is not brain science we are discussing — this is your life!
Make progress everyday. Keep moving forward.
It’s down to you.
