Have you ever tried to tackle a new project, making a list of 150 to do’s then deciding you will do 10 a day. 10 a day is no big deal right? Then you fizzle a little and try 10 a week. Can you feel it, that overwhelmed emotion? Maybe 10 a day was a little ambitious?
Since we work with fitness and nutrition habits we understand the overwhelming desire to tackle all the unhealthy routines which have accumulated over the years. We know our clients are driven to be fit and healthy, once and for all!
The key here, however, is to realize it took years to build up these behaviors and it might take a while to replace them with new healthier and supportive habits.
Try to tackle 1-3 a week. For some, 1 is enough! Just inching your way to getting something old out and something new in, a day at a time a week at a time is powerful!
For instance, you could:
Ø Replace your evening snack with an apple for one week
Ø Take stairs every time you can vs. the elevator
Ø Get to your workout 10 min earlier and walk on the treadmill
Ø Replace the creamer in your coffee with nonfat milk
Give this a try! See how you feel after a week and decide if you want to try it for one more week then maybe add a second new behavior…one week at a time!
“I’m stuck in a rut…I’m just not happy with where I am in my life.”
We can feel this way about our health, our relationships, our job – we can feel like we are stuck in a rut, good or bad, about anything in life. So, how do we get out of a bad rut? The bad news is it takes a lot of work to get out of it. The good news is, when we are in a good rut it’s also hard to get out of it.
The key is to get stuck in as many good ruts as possible. I call them the ruts of life. Look at all aspects of your life – health, family, spirituality, business, financial, etc. What kind of ruts are you stuck in – good or bad? Are you happy or are you sad, inspired or not inspired, purpose driven or not purpose driven, healthy or unhealthy, motivated or not motivated, have good relationships or bad relationships? I think anyone who tells us “its okay” or “I’m fine” is in a bad rut – they’re just in denial. They just don’t know it and/or don’t want to admit it.
In life we can’t live between the ruts, its just too hard. It’s like trying to balance on a tight rope for your entire life. Eventually you will get tired and fall to one side, so don’t be indecisive. You have to accept the fact you are going to get stuck in one of two ruts – the good one or bad one. In the book The Purpose Driven Life it say’s “Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way they will define you.”
Let’s make the commitment today to scrape and claw our way out of the bad ruts. Once we are out – fall into the good ruts. There will be short-term pain with getting out, but it will pass and then you will experience the long-term gain of living life in the good ruts.
Get stuck in the good ruts and make it a GREAT week!
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