There is a huge difference between being in a rut and being in the groove and no doubt we’ve all experienced both instances at one time or another–I know that I certainly have.
When I’m in the groove, I’m feeling good, things are flowing and life seems full of promise. I’m able to accomplish numerous things without even breaking a sweat and (most importantly) I’m happy.
When I’m in a rut however; it’s just the opposite. When I’m in a rut, things are HARD. It’s a chore to get out of bed in the morning and head to work. It’s difficult to make progress on my goals (even the easy ones) and the days seem to drag on forever without much significance. In short–being in a rut SUCKS.
The worst thing about ruts is that they are sneaky and difficult to get out of. Sometimes I’m in a rut without even realizing it. I’ll feel tired and bored. Nothing much excites me and I find myself watching way too much TV. I lose sight of the big, FabYOUlous goals that I’ve set for my life and therefore, my colorful, FabYOUlous life turns into an old, grainy, black & white re-run. That’s the thing with ruts–they will sneak up on you and begin to suck the life out of you without you even realizing it. Often, by the time I do finally realize that I’m in a rut, I’ve turned my rut into a Grand Canyon sized trench that seems impossible to escape.
Believe it or not though, there is some good news about ruts. This good news lies in the fact that ruts are almost always caused by boredom, monotony and a lack of vision. Instead of being on top of things and able to see the big picture for our FabYOUlous lives, we get sucked into a routine of just going through the motions of life without really living. This might not exactly sound like good news but trust me– it is. It’s good news because once we know what causes our ruts, we can come up with strategies to escape them and even more importantly, we can learn to recognize and avoid them in the first place.
So, the next time you’re in a rut, don’t make the mistake of taking up residence. You DO NOT want to hang photos, pick out carpeting and set up utilities–you want to GET OUT. The longer we wallow in our ruts, the deeper the ruts will become and the harder they will be to escape. Do NOT let that happen to you. Your life is far too FabYOUlous to waste even one minute at the bottom of some ugly rut.
So…the next time you find yourself feeling lethargic and unenthused about your life, it is time to take action, BUST THE RUT and GET IN THE GROOVE.
As I mentioned earlier, ruts are almost always caused by boredom, monotony and a lack of vision. Therefore, busting a rut must involve tactics to counter these causes. We need to find ways to break out of our boredom & monotony and we need to grab back a hold of the FabYOUlous vision that we have for our lives. Different tactics will work for different people, but here are a few suggestions that tend to work especially well for me.
–Phone a friend. Sometimes when I’m in a rut, I tend to shut myself off from the people who care about me, the people that I have fun with and the people who see the good in me. These are exactly the people that I need in my life when I’m in a rut. These are the people who add joy and meaning to my life. Reconnecting with them is one of the quickest ways I know to bust a rut.
–Change your routine. Sometimes we can’t change the big things right away but we can make small changes and enough small changes can help us get by until we are ready to make a big change. For example, try a new restaurant for lunch, take a new route to or from work, vary your exercise routine (or start an exercise routine if you don’t already have one.) Small changes like this might not seem like a big deal but they can help to break up the monotony of long days–one of the hallmarks of a rut.
–Try something new. Learn to knit. Take a class on website development. Send a sexy photo to your spouse. Take a wine appreciation class (that might help you get up the courage to take the sexy photo!) Just do something new and different…something that piques your curiosity…something that tiptoes you out of your comfort zone (also referred to as a RUT). Doing something new might just be the kick start you need to revitalize your life. Let this one thing lead to another one thing and then another. Soon, you’ll realize that life is FabYOUlous again and your rut is far behind in the rear view mirror.
–Refocus on your vision. Remember that big, FabYOUlous vision that you have for your life? The vision that got buried under the carpet that you had installed in your rut? Well, pull that carpet up and start focusing on it again. Cut pictures out of magazines that remind you of that vision. Pin images on Pinterest that remind you of that vision. Journal about what your life will be like when your vision becomes a reality. Do whatever you have to do to reignite the passion that you have for your vision. This vision is going to be the biggest RUT BUSTER you have in your arsenal so use it.
There are many rut busters out there. In fact, there are more rut busters than there are ruts (which is FabYOUlous news.) The key is to make sure you recognize the signs of being in a rut so that you can quickly implement these rut busting techniques. Think of some rut busters that will work for you and keep them handy. Before you know it, you’ll find that your life is FabYOUlous again and you are out of your rut in back in the groove.
How do you bust a rut? I’d love to hear your ideas on how you get your groove back when things have gotten stale. Leave a comment and share your best rut-busting ideas.
Hi! I really like this blog post. You have some really great ideas. I will have to remember this the next time I get in a rut. 🙂
Lynn
Yay Lynn! I’m so glad that you found the site and that you enjoyed this post! I hope that you’ll come back often! 🙂