Ruts Suck.
They also happen to just about everyone. Some people are so motivated that they rarely get into a rut, but I'm willing to be that everyone out there gets them. (If you don't, e-mail me at paul@padorec.com and tell me about it)
So how do you bust out of a rut?
I was recently in a bit of a rut...actually, it was a major rut. Here's how I spent my days:
- Grazing in the kitchen
- Going to work and kind of hating it (okay, hating it)
- I watched every episode of Frasier available on Amazon
- I watched every episode of How I Met Your Mother (again)
- I downloaded and watched every episode of Boy Meets World
- I started embarking on a trek to watch every episode of The Simpsons (About 166 hours of time, or 1 week of life)
- I would eat Chinese Food nearly every day from a take-out place
This is a sad, pathetic life!
So, how did I get out of my nasty old rut?
I wrote a journal entry - probably the longest of my life
I spent probably 30-45 minutes writing the longest journal entry I've ever written. It got a lot of the issues out of my head so that I could deal with them, and start to realize what was stifling me. I also realized where my issues and mental blocks were originating, so that I could begin removing impediments to a good life.
I read a book about motivation
The book is great. I literally downloaded and started reading it while in a drive-thru line. The book was 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself and it really showed me the light. I didn't follow every tip (or even read all of them, actually) but it was enough to really get me moving. (Full disclosure: I get a small cut if you click on that link - the non-referral link can be found here) I have since read a number of books which have helped to motivate me. You can find your own books, but I recommend 4-hour work week, Vagabonding, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (I'm working on this now, actually)
I started watching a bunch of YouTube videos
I know, this sounds like it's actually part of the rut. Here's the rule: If you are watching Kittens in Teacups, or guys getting hit in the balls...it's probably part of a rut; if you are watching self-improvement videos, then you can count it as a win. Part of getting out of a rut is to have a purpose. Now, if you've been proactive and written a personal mission statement, or defined your life goals (as well as yearly and/or monthly goals), you should be able to develop some momentum based on these. I had not done so, so I actually watched a bunch of Sumo Dojo videos from the guys at App Sumo. I also watched quite a bit on Elon Musk (one of my business Idols) and Tim Ferris (Lots of helpful information, but not an Idol). Shark Tank also really helped me to break out of my mental block!
I set small challenges
I did a weekend juice fast. This was difficult after eating a bunch of Chinese food, but I did it.
I began minimalizing my possessions. I realized that I had so much stuff I felt weighed down by them when I was home (I travel weekly for work). This is an ongoing practice. I'm a classic pack rat, so I'm working to get rid of stuff. The key to small challenges is to get momentum. It's hard to go from doing nothing in life to writing a huge novel. It's a different challenge to go from nothing to doing 10 push ups a day, or drinking 8 glasses of water a day, or writing for 2 minutes a day. Any small win builds momentum and is a self-fulfilling cycle.
I had some time with Family and Friends
This sounds so cliche, so I almost hate to put it in here. I spent more time with Family and Friends. There are 3 pillars to life - Health, Wealth, and Love. I was working on the Health, the Wealth was doing okay for my age (but not as well as I wanted it to go) and the Love was sorely lacking. A lot of people take "Love" to mean sex. Love doesn't refer to intimate relationships alone; it can be any sort of relationship - including family and friends. The biggest secret of all is that it can also refer to the relationship you have with yourself. If you are sick of yourself, you need to work on that! I had grown a bit sick of looking at myself in the mirror myself, because I saw an unmotivated guy in a rut! I have since fixed this, and now I look at myself in the mirror and think "Damn, that guys a sexy, motivated, successful guy".
That was it - how I got out of my rut - it started with small changes which gave me momentum to lead to bigger changes. Simultaneously, I was focusing on the parts of my life which were lacking - namely health and love.
Keep in mind that this did not all happen at once. I started with Shark Tank (I watched every episode from the beginning once I ran out of Boy Meets World), and things grew from there.
So, once you have the momentum, how do you keep it going?
That's going to have to wait for the next post.
No comments:
Post a Comment