In a rut ? Do this to get back on track
Have you been feeling unmotivated? As though you are simply going through the motions? Do you struggle to know yourself, or what you want? Although these feelings are perfectly normal, they can deeply affect your mood and the relationships with those closest to you.
If you have found yourself in a rut and are wondering how to get out, this article is for you. You will know what to do to start changing your mindset, to get excited about your everyday life again, and to feel that spark deep inside of you again. It is important to note that I am not a trained professional.
Ok, so perhaps lately you have been having a hard time. The kind of hard time that is difficult to understand. The kind you feel to the core. You may have looked at your surroundings to try to figure out where these feelings are stemming from. You look around to see what it could be. You may see a good life partner, a good job, a good home. In fact, you see everything you have ever needed. But yet, you can’t help but feel this empty void inside of you. These negative feelings fill you to the point that you’re no longer motivated at work. You may look forward to weekends to get away from work, but find yourself just as unmotivated once they come. You don’t know what to do with yourself. So what do you do? You end up spending your evenings and weekends sitting on the couch and playing mindless games on your phone, or binge watching a Netflix series that you don’t particularly care for. You may be asking yourself “Why do I feel like this?”
The moment you start to realize that something is not right, you decide you want to do more. You need to snap out of it. So you reach out to your loved ones. We think that if we spend more time with them, that if we spend every waking moment together, the empty void will go away. We don’t realize that by imposing ourselves on them, we are taking them away from the activities that bring them joy. And sooner and or later, it is a matter of time, you end up back on your phone playing mindless games and wasting your days away wondering if there is more to life than this.
Maybe your story sounds a little different. However, this is how mine went. Even though I was in a good place, I simply felt like a hot mess. I was not happy with status quo and was constantly seeking more from life. I just did not know what. I needed something to work towards. Something I really wanted to do. Something that would get me excited again. Something to get me off the couch. I needed a new goal.
On my quest to finding a new goal, I decided to pick up reading. A few years back, I had bought some personal development books and realized I had not read them. The first book I picked up was called High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard. Whether you believe in the power of the universe or not, I believe that I picked up this book because it had a message for me. Without giving too much, the book goes over what it means to perform at a high level. The author explains there are 6 high performance habits that anyone, anywhere, in any field of endeavor, could apply over and over again to measurably improve their performance. To be honest, when I first picked up the book, I was pretty skeptical, and I had no intention in doing the practice exercises. But as I read about the first habit, Seek Clarity, I instantly recognized myself.
A lightbulb came on and my next goal was revealed.
I needed to seek clarity about my current self. I needed to look within to see what I liked and did not like about my current self. Then I had to seek clarity about how I envisioned my future self. Who do I want to be in the future? What do I need to do to become the best version of myself? And just as important, how do I want others to remember me. How could I serve others?
I soon realized, my previous goals were about job security, about money, about promotions, about materialistic things. And since they were very important to me, I did in fact I did achieve them and was very happy in the initial moment. But over time, those feelings went away. Having all the things that I wanted, I was left unsure. What now? What big life event was next? What did I have to look forward to? And that there was the void I felt deep inside of me. The fear of the unknown. The fear that I did not know what my future brought.
The reason you are feeling that void and yearning for something more is because you are fearing something about the unknown in some way shape or form. You may know you want something better for yourself, but don’t know what that looks like. Maybe you do know what you want to accomplish, but don’t have a plan. As long as you are unsure, you will continue to feel the fear of the unknown. You need something different. Something to look forward to. Something that gets you out of bed every day. Something you look forward to celebrating. Something that as soon as you know, there is no time for evenings and weekends playing mindless games on your phone feeling sorry for yourself. Maybe you want job security. Maybe you want pay off your debt. Maybe you are looking to be happier. Whatever your goal may be it, must be meaningful to you, and it must get you excited.
I realized I have a natural inkling to want to help people, that helping people is my passion. I love to get to know people from all over, and to be able to serve them. At work, my colleagues know they can count on me. They feel comfortable coming to me with an issue. They trust that I will work through the issue with them, as best I can. And I love the feeling I get when we can accomplish something together. Now, I want to be there for you. I want to help you learn something about yourself. I want to motivate you. I want you to learn from my mistakes and successes. But most importantly, I want to give you the courage to start reaching for your goal, whatever it may look like. And that starts with you.
To get yourself out of that rut, you need to have a plan. If you do not have anything to look forward to, I can guarantee you will continue going through the motions. Look within and spend some time with yourself. What feelings keep coming up? What parts do you like? What change could improve your everyday life? Is there something you have been wanting to do for a while? Is there something you want to do for yourself, your family, or others? Once you have figured out exactly what it is you want to do, spend some time with it. What would that feel like? How would achieving that goal impact you and others around you? If that feeling gets you excited, then you are ready for takeoff. And don’t just stop there. Plan for it. Take a step every day to make it happen. And sooner or later, you will notice yourself a little lighter and happier. You will be back on track.
