Sometimes we can find ourselves stuck in a rut and feeling like a hamster running on a wheel. Wake up, get the kids ready, go to work, get the kids to bed, wake up, get the kids ready….so on and so forth until the end of eternity. When you find yourself stuck, it’s important you know you don’t have to stay stuck. Here are a few tips to help you reset and adjust your trajectory to help you get unstuck.
Pause For A Moment And Think About What You Want Out Of Life. (Write Your Eulogy)
What do you truly want out of this life? Pause and reflect on that. If you have trouble figuring it out and, honestly, it’s a hard thing for a lot of people to figure out, you can do an exercise. Fair warning this exercise is slightly morbid, but I have an alternative take on it if the first option is too morbid for you. The first option is to write your eulogy. Here lies Whitnee, then go into everything you would want someone to say you had achieved in your life.
If that’s too dark, pretend that your great, great, great, granddaughter is at school giving a presentation about her great, great, great grandmother. What would you want her to say? How would you want her to describe you? Write out your answer. This exercise will help you to know what you want out of life.
Take A Moment To Reflect On Where You Are
Where are you in this life? How do you feel? What have you achieved? What are you currently achieving? What are you actively working on? Where are you actively spending your time and energy? Write those things down, then write how you got here.
What happened over the last year to three months to put you in this place where you are right now? What actions have you taken? Are there actions you have not taken? What circumstances outside of your control have come into your life? Where have you decided to focus your energy primarily? Write all of those things down and then pause. Go get some coffee, have a glass of water, take a walk around the block, let it all marinate for a little bit, and then write down the gaps? What are the gaps between where you want to be and where you are right now?
Choose 1 Thing You Want To Accomplish In The Next 3 Months
Now choose one thing that you want to work on over the next three months. Not 50,000. I’m sure when you write what your great, great, great-granddaughter is talking about, there’s a whole long list of things that you’ve done in life that you want her to share. Don’t worry about all of those. Pick one. Pick one thing that you want to achieve in the next three months – that’s what you’re going to focus on. Make it something that is exciting to you. Something that gives you butterflies in your stomach. But remember, only choose one thing to work on over the next three months. Then make a plan to obtain that goal, make a plan to achieve it.
Make A Plan To Obtain Goal
Your plan – this is how you’re going to get out of the rut. Focus on one thing and then make the plan to achieve it. Once you’ve gotten out of the rut, here’s a couple of things to help you ensure that you never go back there.
Meditate
The first is to take time to meditate, do it daily, or at the very least weekly. Meditation doesn’t have to be an hour. It literally can take you two minutes, but take some time every day to sit and be still with yourself. There are great apps available on your phone. Headspace is an awesome app and Calm is another popular app you can utilize. Take some time to meditate daily, and if not daily, at least weekly.
Schedule Time For Self-Development
Make sure that you’re taking time weekly for self-improvement and self-development. If you can’t do it weekly, at least every other week to focus on you. Do something that’s going to push your mind, that’s going to challenge you. It could be something that you work into your current schedule. If you feel you can not find 30 minutes to try something new or work on your hobby, then try to take on a new challenge at work, try to get into something that’s going to push your brain and make you do things in a different way.
Stop The Sunk Cost Mindset
The next is to let go of the sunk cost mentality. Whatever happened in the past, please leave it in the past, don’t live there. Maybe you put a lot of time and effort into something, and it didn’t work out. Perhaps you spent a ton of money on something, and it didn’t work out. Let’s not worry about it. Let’s worry about the future. Focus your mind on the future.
Take Action
Take time right now to think about that one thing you’re going to achieve in three months. I invite you to open your calendar right now, mark your calendar for three months from now when you will have achieved the goal that you set to achieve. Believe in yourself. Know that you will accomplish this goal. Then remember to check-in with yourself along the way. Taking these actions today can help you get out of the rut you are in and stay out of it.
Like what you’re reading? Head on over to How To Redesign Your Life One Decision At A Time for more tips and tricks to move ahead.
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