I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel less than great.
Low, grouchy, fed-up, and bored are all words you could use to describe what I am like on those days and I'm probably not the best company. The thing is, days like those are part of the deal with being human. It is not an elective. There will always be off days, and that is okay.
But what happens when you get a whole string of those off-days
- maybe lasting weeks, months or even years?
Too many of us say that we're in a rut, feel stuck, fed-up, or bored and admit that we don't want things to be that way, but we don't know what to do to change. That's the problem! When you're in a rut, you don't have the energy or motivation to change things for the better, and it's tough to find the insight or resources you need to make that jump.
Here are five fun and easy ways you can use right now to climb - or better yet, leap -
out of the rut and start to get something better for yourself.
1. Do Something Differently
Life tends to run smoothly when we establish systems and routines for things. But the problem comes when things run too smoothly and we become blinded to any ideas or choices that sit outside of our routine. All the stuff we do every day becomes the norm, running on auto-pilot, and it becomes our whole world.
Start with making one or two simple changes to your day - be it at breakfast time, your radio station, gym routine, route to work, lunch routine, etc. Don't worry about what the changes are, or whether they're right or wrong, just make a couple of simple choices that will serve you well.
Doing something differently or changing parts of your routine, instantly takes you out of the norm and allows you to shake off the things that make you feel confined. Step out of your routine and you'll be in a position where you're able to make different choices, see things differently and get a different result.
2. Nourish Yourself
Imagine you're walking home from the supermarket with a couple of bags of groceries, but those bags have holes in them. You're walking along merrily leaving a trail of your things behind you, but when you get home you unpack what is left and ask, "Didn't I have more than this?"
Nourishment is about plugging up those holes in your life and making sure you have things that keep you feeling nourished - nourished in your head, nourished in your heart, and nourished in your stomach. Remember that you can't give away what you don't have, and you can't spend energy you've already spent.
It doesn't have to be the big things in life that nourish you, and it's often the simplest little thing that strikes a chord, makes you feel like yourself again, or makes you smile from ear to ear - like calling a friend, taking a walk in the park, or listening to your favorite song.
So what keeps you balanced? What relaxes you or makes you feel peaceful? What makes you feel like you again?
The fact is that you're important enough to spend time taking care of yourself, and it doesn't matter what it is, just take the time to do it. If necessary, go as far as booking time in your diary. You're the only one of you there is, so it's your responsibility to make sure you're okay.
3. Get Some Fun, Fulfillment and Freedom
The Three F's - Fun, Fulfillment, and Freedom - encompass a lot of what people are looking for in life, and also contain the solutions to having, doing and being those things. Here are some definitions:
Fun, n. - A source of enjoyment or pleasure; playful activity.
Fulfillment, n. - To bring into actuality; to complete; a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.
Freedom, n. - The capacity to exercise choice, free will; frankness or boldness; the absence of constraint in choice or action.
Read those again. Those things are huge, deep, and broad, and are a lot simpler than we make them.
Where are you in relation to each of the Three F's?
How much of each do you have right now?
How much of each do you want?
Whatever gap there is, recognize that it can be closed, and that you can close it.
What would things be like if you were to close that gap?
What would happen if you climbed a point or two on the Fun scale?
What if you could add a point to your level of Fulfillment or Freedom?
How would that feel? Pretty good, right?
So what one thing can you do right now to help you get more?
By themselves each of the Three F's are a powerful thing, and can really help to move you forward, enjoy where you are, and feel alive. But when the Three F's come together . . .well, just hold on to your hat and keys.
Rut? What rut??
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