The first step to climbing out of a rut is admitting you’re in one. But, what kind of rut do you need to break free from? A social rut? Financial rut? Career? Emotional? The list could go on and on but if you’re stuck in a rut socially this post is for you! If you’re lacking motivation and inspiration but don’t know where to look for a solution this post is for you!
Full confession, until recently I’ve been in a huge rut. I mean HUGE! Over the past six months I’ve slowly become a middle aged coal miner who only wants to sleep on his days off. How did I realize this? Yeah, I got the “Don’t waste your young years” talk from my Mom (and possibly a few others….). I realized there is so much I want to do not just in life but right now! At this age! What am I doing instead of doing the things I dream of? After pondering that I quickly made plans to get out of the house that weekend and spend more time on my hobbies like writing for you guys! Check out the five ways I discovered for breaking out of a rut below!
1. Get out and go on solo dates. Taking your self out to dinner and a movie or visiting your favorite museum – even simply going window shopping is a great place to start becoming more active. The more active you are alone the easier it will be with other people and before you know it you’ll be a full fledged sociable person!
2. Revisit your long term goals and passions. When you’re stuck in a rut you’ve stopped advancing, evolving and growing. A sure fire way to shake things up is to refresh your goals – what do you want your future to look like? What are you called to do? What do you dream of doing? What makes you happy girl?! Once you sort those questions out ask yourself where is the time not spent on building your life going? Identify what’s holding you back and work on eliminating it.
3. Devote time to building your acquaintances into friendships. Have three best friends you’ve known for years? What’s the point of making new ones when you have a group of people who know you inside out, right? Those same friends can keep you from breaking out of your rut! Not intentionally of course but with new friends come new perspectives and experiences. You’ll find new motivation and inspiration when surrounded by different personalities and perspectives. You’ll also be less inclined to stay in your rut without the guarantee of old friends being there forever.
4. Get offline! (Basically stay away from Netflix and stop scrolling!). Its’s easy to get sucked into the black hole of Instagram or Twitter and slowly become more invested in the lives of others than your own. Remember that social media is a highlight reel of someone else’s life and not their actual life. No one hikes Machu Pichu in a ball gown on a Wednesday!
5. Start a deadline driven personal challenge. A new challenge with a manageable deadline is the perfect way to get out of a rut. The perfect way to remind yourself of what you’re capable of, to discover new talents and abilities. When you learn you can actually do that thing that seems like a hassle and slightly scary you’ll be that much more motivated to tackle others.
I hope my five tips above are helpful in your journey of breaking out of the rut you’re stuck in. Let me know what worked for you and leave some tips of your own!