Sometimes we all get in a rut. It happens. One day we are traveling along doing well, and the next we wake up frustrated and bored. The longer we travel along in this rut, the deeper it gets. Often, the rut is the path that we feel like we are “supposed” to do. Hell, we might even be good at it. This deeper rut makes it harder to change.
And more importantly, I think, it makes it harder to even consider changing. I talk about this a bit on the most recent Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast here.
“Great,” I hear you saying. “But now what?” Here are a few ways I have seen people (including me) break out of a rut.
- Give Yourself Permission to Dream (Again): As I mentioned in the podcast, when you are in a rut, it’s hard to even imagine doing something different. We become a bit of a martyr. “I have to do this because…” You have to give yourself a chance to stop thinking about what you “have” to do and consider what “excites” you. By taking off the blinders, you might be able to see.
- Find Your Happy: Think about the things that you really enjoy doing. How can you do more of that. Study after study tells you that you do not need success to be happy. You need “happy” to be ore successful.
- Seek out a Purpose: A really good friend of mine recently told me that the main reason for depression in the United States is a lack of purpose. You need a reason to get you up in the morning. What is your purpose? If you can’t answer that question (fairly quickly), you need to dig in and get the answer.
- Create “Crazy” New Goals: Sometimes the best thing to do to snap you back is to set a new “crazy” goal that really stretches you. Maybe it’s a goal to run a 5k or a Half Marathon. Maybe you want to write a book (like this one). Maybe you want to start a new business (like one that brews beer). Forgive the silly self promotion, but these sort of “crazy” projects can often really kick start your purpose. If nothing else, I can attest that you will not be bored.
- Find a Place to Push Out Good: While you are trying to get out of the rut and find your purpose, be on the look out for something nice to do for others every day. The science shows you this process will help to improve your mood and overall well-being. It’s not opinion…it’s fact. Along the way, you might find a purpose. But in the meantime, you will be pushing out more good into a world that seems to desperately need it.
So if you are in a rut, keep in mind, we all end up there. But in order to get out of a rut you need to talk action. Start here…and let me know how it goes!
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