Written 09.11.19
This morning, I did what I have done too often lately-slept in.
Lately, it’s as if I cannot get enough sleep, despite my early bed time.
Normally, sleeping in signifies an unproductive, discouraging day ahead for me.
But today was different.
When I woke up, I took notice of the sunny sky, and then I remembered-today is September 11th.
You see, here in northern Indiana, we had the most beautiful sunny sky the morning of September 11th, 2001.
Maybe where you live, you had sunny skies that day, too.
And while this article isn’t about 9/11, it was a reminder of all that is possible.
If you’re still breathing, anything is possible.
No matter what situation you’re currently in.
We have been given the gift of possibility-of endless opportunities-simply by being alive-when so many will never have that chance again.
Today, I was reminded of this, and it inspired me to take action.
Stuck
This article was inspired by the place I found myself in the last month or so.
I recently attended Terri Savelle Foy’s Icing Women’s Conference in Irving, Texas.
At the conference, she said just a few weeks prior during prayer time, she asked God how she could host a conference about living your dreams and preaching about things like goal-setting, when she hadn’t even achieved even one of her yearly goals.
That resonated with me, because while I have achieved some of my goals this year, there are some that have yet to be achieved.
The two most important goals on my radar have yet to be achieved…
It’s been the source of my discouragement and mild depression.
For awhile, I was doing so well.
I implemented and kept great habits and was taking baby steps to success.
Mistakes, missteps and shortcomings didn’t deter me.
But then, I lost my momentum.
I succumbed to the things that were happening to me, instead of making them happen for me.
Because that’s the secret to handling mistakes, failure and discouragement: You have to see things as happening for you, not to you.
Today, I remembered I get to choose how I feel…I get to choose the outcome of my situation…I get to decide.
I.Get.To.
And today, I am choosing happiness, joy, and productivity.
If you’re reading this article and relating because you too have been stuck in a rut, have no fear.
Here are some helpful tips to get yourself out of a rut (I’m currently implementing these myself).
Actively make a decision.
The first step to getting out of any rut is to proactively decide to do it.
Proactively decide how you want to feel (even if you don’t actually feel it yet) and start speaking positive declarations that reflect what you want to see.
I want to see myself productive, joyful, and back to seeing challenges as opportunities to grow, not obstacles barricading me from proceeding onward.
Announce your decision to leave your current circumstances behind and get back on the road to positive thinking.
You don’t have to announce it publicly-just declare it to yourself! Make that promise to yourself and don’t break it.
You can talk yourself into feeling what you want to feel.
The say in the matter is yours.
You have to know that.
Decide today is a new day and acknowledge the past is the past and only the future matters.
Yesterday no longer matters.
What you do today counts because it prepares you for what you’ll do tomorrow.
Instead of reacting to your circumstances, be proactive in turning them around.
Don’t give up your good habits.
As I drew deeper into a rut, good habits slipped from my grasp.
Drinking wine on weekends became drinking wine nightly.
Working out five times a week became not working out at all.
Eating potato chips on occasion became eating chips for dinner (stress eating).
Listening to motivational podcasts on a daily basis became missing two weeks’ worth of uplifting messages.
Reading daily became reading once a week.
Waking up at 5:30 am became waking up at 8 am (or as late as possible before I had to leave in the morning).
Good habits I thought were a staple of my being that seemed so easy were slipping away from me, and slowly being traded in for bad ones.
I had to build my good habits back up and ditch the bad ones all over again.
Today, I got on the treadmill for 35 minutes, even though I didn’t feel like it. It’s not the normal 45 minutes I’d put in, but it was a start in the right direction.
While on the treadmill, I continued where I left off with the personal development book I’m currently reading, and while working, I started to catch up with some of the podcast episodes I’d missed out on the last two weeks.
And when I got back from Texas last week, I went back to only drinking wine on weekends, trading in my daily vino for half my body weight in ounces of water.
Reprogramming good habits after you’ve abandoned them for any length of time or never started them to begin with is tough, but 100% possible.
You just have to make the decision to start again.
Evaluate your environment.
Examine your environment and the people in it.
If the people in your inner circle don’t support you, consider distancing yourself from them or removing them from your life altogether.
You need people who will lift you up-especially when you’re struggling.
My husband is my biggest encourager. When I want to give up on what seems impossible, he encourages me to keep going.
Keeping people around who only fuel bad habits or thinking patterns will only keep you trapped in the negative mindset you’re currently in, so it’s important to separate yourself from them.
I have distanced myself from anyone who might add further stress or drama to my life during this time.
Don’t beat yourself up.
The worst thing you can do is look back and regret the time wasted on bad habits or the things you didn’t do. As I stated above, yesterday doesn’t matter. Only today matters!
It’s okay if you mess up-just start again.
The ship didn’t leave the harbor. Your dream didn’t pass you by just because you quit working on it for a season of your life.
Pick yourself back up and dust yourself off.
Determine if it’s Time for a Change
You may be stuck in a rut because your job isn’t working out the way you wanted it to.
Or maybe you’re in a toxic relationship.
Maybe it’s something else entirely.
Whatever it is…ask yourself if it’s worth it. Ask yourself if it’s time to move on.
If that “thing” were removed from your life, would you be happier?
Think about it. Maybe it’s time to move on.
Moving on may be what you need to do to get out of the rut you’re in.
Whatever you do…don’t quit!
Don’t give up.
Take a break, go on hiatus, do what you need to do.
But whatever you do, don’t give up on life.
It’s never too late to start again.
Read Next: