How to Get Out of a Rut

Rut, curse, slump, whatever you call it, it happens to everybody. At one point in our lives, we may experience a cascade of downfalls, disappointments, and just bad luck. I was watching this new cop show and he was experiencing this phenomenon where everything that he did wasn’t going right. At first he was just plainly dismissing that he wasn’t even stuck in a rut, but 4 minutes into the show, he did realize it. So I guess the first step on how to get out of a rut is to…

…Admit You’re in a Rut

Nobody wants to acknowledge that they are in a slump until it goes very bad. Ruts, slumps, and curses aren’t actually real, what we have to deal with is the psychological effect of having your self-confidence and self-esteem being chipped little by little over time. So admit it, just say “I am in a rut.” Acknowledge it, know that it’s a reality you are facing, and once you do that, you’re on your way into dispelling your curse.

Identify the Problem

If you have a lot of problems, make a list of all of them. Then, breakdown those problems into small things that you can accomplish.

Start Small

For example, if you need to set up an awards ceremony for your martial arts school, break it down until you reach things that you can easily accomplish like ‘call photographer’ or ‘print certificates’. Do small things, do a lot of them, and it will make you feel good because you are starting to move forward and actually accomplishing things. Soon, you’ll have the confidence again to start tackling bigger tasks.

Take a Break, and Shake Things Up

Even if you’re doing things and moving on with your day to day activities, you may still feel that you’re not going anywhere. You’re unhappy, you don’t feel hopeful, and you feel that your life is getting nowhere. Then take a break, have a vacation, meet up with your friends, or do the things that you wanted to do for so long but you didn’t because you always had excuses not do it. Travel, learn to ride a motorcycle, go mountain climbing, deep sea diving, learn to cook, anything that’s new is welcome. The idea here is to take a rest and reboot your brain from the things that you usually do and take up an activity that you are passionate about.

Remember Your Goals

Do you know what vision boards are? They are illustration boards with cut up images from magazines of the things that people may want. For example, a vision board of a 12 year old girl could be a mash up of Justine Bieber, a castle, and a plate of pink cupcakes where as a vision board of an aspiring businessman may look like a mix of huge buildings, a Mercedes Benz, and a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Vision boards are effective because it reminds people of their goals. Whenever they look at it, it gives them a boost to work harder and longer. You don’t need a vision board, but you can make one if you want. All you need to do is just to be reminded of the things that you want.

Did you read all of it? Good, now you have just taken the first step into getting out of a slump. Congratulations! You’re now ready to take steps to get out of it. Good luck!