“The difference between a rut and a grave is just a few feet!”

This is a saying of a favourite coach of mine, Steve Chandler. And it’s been with me for the longest time, really helping me over the years to notice any time I’ve slipped into something of a rut – and the absolute importance of yanking myself out of it, at the very soonest opportunity!

Hearing that quote again recently has inspired me to share my response of a few weeks’ ago to a client who asked the question: “How do I get out of this rut I find myself in?” Here’s what I suggested to her, and that you’ll perhaps find useful to extricate yourself from your own ruts …

#1. TIDY-UP YOUR SPACE. De-clutter your space, de-clutter your mind. And just have this as an If/Then rule that you follow, without thought. IF THEN = MOTION + SPACE + FEEL BETTER + CLARITY.

#2. RELEASE YOUR FEARS. Isolate the thought behind the fears that are keeping you in your rut. Get them down on paper. Go to work on them, so you might let those go.

#3. ENVISION THE FUTURE. Your rut has you focused on everything that’s not working here and now. So shift the focus. How would you like things to be? And what’s important to you about that? Build as vivid a mental picture as you can of your desired future.

#4. CREATIVELY SUBTRACT. There is great power in radically simplifying anything. Choose an area of life or a current project closely connected to your rut. Now: SIMPLIFY. Remove the superfluous. Get back to “simple – and perfectly formed”.

#5. MAKE DECISIONS. Ever noticed the sheer lack of decisiveness when you’re in your ruts? Rebuild the decision-making habit by … making decisions! And ANY decision will do. The smaller the better. Doesn’t even need to be directly connected to your rut. But, for goodness sake …DECIDE! 

#6. GET HAPPY. What makes you happy? And now – go do some of that! And don’t let yourself suggest “It’s not as easy as that”. It is! We just don’t like to admit to ourselves that part of us likes to wallow in our sadness. Choose happy activities, instead. You’ll not punish anyone else but you by choosing to stay sad.

#7. CLEAN-UP YOUR ENERGY. Saving the best until last – but to emerge powerfully from your rut, do this first, last and everywhere in-between! Your rut has you carrying some “dirty” energy. So “clean and clear” by getting up early, exercising, eating well, getting outside, connecting with “up” people and looking after your self. Don’t feel like it? Don’t worry – you will. For now: JFDI.

Thanks for reading!

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