Are you a Rut Dweller? I heard this term recently and it really made me think. Am I a rut dweller? I have my routines, sure, but does that make me a rut dweller. I don’t like to think so, so I thought I’d look into it more.

Routine doesn’t make you a rut dweller. Phew.

So after some digging, it has been shown that a rut dweller is someone who is not moving forward in their life, and in order avoid feeling bad about themselves they lower their standards just a little bit more. They are also a master of distraction. They love to watch sports and reality TV because they can then live vicariously through the stars. Now I’m not suggesting that every person who sits and watches sport is a rut dweller (I mean I like to watch the odd grand final, or car race)– but it gets you thinking doesn’t it. Are you sitting down to watch TV, rather than taking the time to sit down and reflect and examine your life because you don’t want to experience that hopeless feeling?

Do you know that life could be better? But don’t do anything to change things? A rut dweller looks at people who are achieving and says, “I could have done that.” But didn’t.  They’ll also say things such as, “I should be out there, I should be doing this…I should, I would, I could.” But never really does it; they just should, should, should. (That word  ‘should’  should 😉 be removed from our vocabulary – but that’s another blog 😊 ) A rut dweller doesn’t make excuses for themselves, though, or blame others for their ‘failings’; they resign themselves to the fact (well, it’s fact to them) that this is just how things are and then go back to checking the TV guide.

And would you like to know the saddest thing about a rut dweller? The first time they hit a wall or run into some sort of obstacle, they quit! As soon as they become overwhelmed or frightened, they stop; they quit. There’s no blame though; they don’t blame other people or circumstances; they just quit. And you know what they say about quitters? I’ll remind you. Winners never quit. Quitters never win. So, in effect, a rut dweller is not a winner – but you knew that didn’t you?

Does any of this resonate with you? I mean all of us, at some stage or another, has found themselves in a rut. It’s just who you are that determines how long you stay there. For some it is a short time, others a bit longer, and for some unfortunately it is the life they have chosen.

If you do not like the life you have chosen, or the rut you are dwelling in, I have a few suggestions to help you climb your way out.

1. Firstly, and importantly understand that a rut is not a permanent place, it’s a temporary one. It’s just a small obstacle in your overall journey of life. If you take this view of your circumstance, you’ll be much more motivated to make the effort to get yourself back on track.
2. Learn to grow; upgrade yourself and your thinking. Go to a seminar, read a new book – try a different genre form the one you usually read, read inspiring books – autobiographies are great or try a new hobby -something simple to start with. You might just learn a new skill, and meet new people.
3. Literally take a new route to work – or maybe on the way home (you do not want to get lost on the way to work).
4. Try a new coffee shop, or a new restaurant.
5. Take some time, reflect, and think of one action you could do that would improve your life. Even by just a little. (And I am not talking – win the lottery!) What is an action you can do? Write it down, and commit to doing it!
6. Raise your standards and take small steps towards improving yourself. As John Bytheway has been credited for saying “Inch by inch anything’s a cinch. But by the yard, it’s hard.” Little by little is the way to start. You do not want to overwhelm yourself at the get go.
7. Find the courage to get back into the game of life. Be brave and put yourself out there and see what can happen. Look, you won’t know how things will work out, but until you try and if you keep putting those universal laws to work for you, you will succeed.
8. Gather people around you who will help you achieve your goals (or the small steps you have chosen) and steer clear of those who will hinder you. Always surround yourself with others that are moving.

We have often heard the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting it to come out differently. I’m more inclined to say it doesn’t even need the ending of expecting it to come out differently. Just doing the same thing over and over again, and staying in a rut, that is (to me) the definition of insanity. Live your life. Get up. Climb out. Be a rut dweller no longer! Be happy to move onwards and upwards! Now if you need help with this, contact me – I can help.

Okay, I’ll finish now and leave you with a thought by a great man. “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ― Albert Einstein

Think on it!

Start kicking up your heels!

Sam
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