Stuck In a Rut? 8 Ways to Get Unstuck

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Previously I wrote a post titled Are You Growing as a Person?

The truth is, if you’re not growing, you are standing still or worse stagnating. You could even be stuck in a rut.

Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself.

Are you making the same old mistakes? Are you unhappy but not doing anything about it? Do you pass up great opportunities when they come along because you are scared of change?

Try this exercise. Think back to what you were doing two years ago? Then fast forward to a snapshot of where you are right now. Has much changed for the better? Has much changed at all? Are you satisfied with your current situation?

If you are unhappy with your lack of progress, it’s time to take stock and think about how to get your life moving in the right direction again.

Here are 8 tips that might help if you are stuck in a rut.

Disclosure – This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Any compensation I receive does not affect the price you pay.

Do a self-esteem check

Our negative self-talk and lack of self-esteem can cause us to purposely hold ourselves back.

After all, who is going to put in all the effort and hard work, it takes to go after their dreams, if they don’t believe they truly deserve them?

If you find yourself thinking negative things like, I’m not good enough or I’ll fail so why should I bother trying, you need to have a serious look at improving your self-esteem.

I often meet women who seem completely confident on the outside but their decisions and actions are not displaying the same level of confidence.

In fact, their actions demonstrate low self-esteem and insecurity, not confidence.

Personally, getting my self-doubt under control was a big turning point for me. I did that by taking the online course, How to Break Out of the Habit of Self-Doubt and Build Real Confidence.

This course is run by Mel Robbins over at CreativeLive and it was a game-changer for me. You can read my review of the course and how it can benefit you.

Look at your achievements and progress

This exercise will do one of two things.

It might help you realize you have advanced and grown a lot more than you realized, which is always a powerful thing, or it could have you asking, ‘What the heck have I been doing?’

Regardless of the outcome, it’s an important exercise.

Write down a list of everything you have achieved over the last year.

Bear in mind, this isn’t about beating yourself up or bragging about yourself either. It’s about taking an honest look at what you have and have not achieved.

Examine your excuses

Talking to a friend recently, she explained the reason she wasn’t acting on an opportunity that had come her way. While she was talking, it dawned on me that I had heard her use the exact same reason five years ago.

In reality, her reason is nothing but an excuse. An excuse she recycles when required.

Examine the excuses you are using for not moving forward. Were you using the same excuse five years ago? Are you prepared to be using the same excuse in ten years’ time?

Is that something you honestly want for yourself? Are your excuses keeping you stuck in a rut?

Take smart risks

A lot of us don’t like to take risks. We like things safe, predictable, and comfortable. Some of us on the other hand, thrive on risk-taking.

To get out of your rut, you may need to take some risks.

I’m certainly not encouraging you to do anything stupid or dangerous. Sometimes people who think they are risk-takers, are simply people who repeat the same old mistakes again and again, hoping for a different result.

Definitely not the sort of risk-taking I’m talking about.

This is about taking calculated risks that are going to get you where you want to be. Risks that help you move forward.

Related content –

Embrace change

Are you scared of change? Even change that can bring positive elements into your life.

Change can be unsettling. But so can not changing at all. The very fact that you are stuck in a rut, could be solely based on your refusal to seek out change or to accept it when it seeks you out.

Change is inevitable. Resisting change will result in a lot of wasted energy, effort, and time.

Related post – 12 Thought-Provoking Change Quotes

Have a plan

Do you have goals and dreams? More importantly, do you have a plan on how to make them a reality?

Without a plan, your goals and dreams are simply fluffy wishes. Nothing more.

Do you have a plan for what you want to achieve next year or the year after?

If you don’t want to be exactly where you are now in a year’s time, you need an action plan in place.

I recommend using the Slay Your Goals Planner. This planner can help you work out the why, how, where, what, when, and who of your goal. You can read my review of the planner in the post – How to Achieve Your Goals (The Key to Setting Goals and Achieving Them).

You can also download the free Slay Your Goals Guide to get a feel for the planner.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with staying the same person in the exact same place you are right now. If you are totally happy where you are now, I applaud you. After all, it’s all about being happy and fulfilled.

But if you want to challenge yourself and continue to grow as a person, you need to keep moving forward.

You need a plan to slay your goals.

Do something different

You often hear people complaining about their lives being boring, not going to plan, or simply not progressing the way they want them to.

Then you ask them what they’ve been doing about it. What have they been doing differently to improve their situation?

Often the answer will be nothing.

If you don’t do anything different folks, nothing will change and you won’t make any progress.

Related post – 25 Ways to Be More Courageous in Life

Do something remarkable

While small changes can make a significant difference, sometimes it’s the big changes that you need to embrace to enable you to take that giant leap forward.

Is there a big change that you’ve been putting off that you need to put in motion?

Don’t let yourself be stuck in a rut. Get unstuck, jump out of your rut and do something remarkable!

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