Motivation Tips
Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? He relives Groundhog Day over and over again and is unable to figure out to how to get out of his rut. We all experience ruts both professionally and personally. It is understandable if you get stuck in them because they are the familiar, secure, comfortable and undemanding routines that we let shape and control us. Unfortunately, ruts are frustrating, draining and unproductive and can be hard to break because they require a commitment to change. Yet, breaking free can be invigorating and liberating...
I was working with a client experiencing a professional rut. Her company was going through a merger and she had lost her motivation and began procrastinating on tasks. She felt drained and sluggish often making her late to work. And, she noticed her thoughts were mainly negative. She was stuck in a rut! Not only was she stuck professionally; it was starting to affect her personal life as well. She struggled with how to move beyond this.
What helped her was my 3-step process to help overcome ruts with any easy to remember acronym: R.U.T!
R: Realize the source of the rut. The first step to making any change is awareness. So, take the time to reflect and monitor the activities that are draining, taking too much time or aren't moving your forward. By pinpointing the source, you can get clear on the situation then start to make positive change. My client realized that the source of her rut was the fear of not knowing if she was going to have a job once the merger was complete. And she was not getting any answers from her boss or the company. From this realization, she understood what was going on and was ready to look at ways to move beyond it.
U: Uncover the options to overcome the rut. By considering the possibilities, you stretch yourself to think beyond the comfort and familiarity of the unhealthy routine and remind yourself you have a choice in the matter. Choice puts you back in your personal power and gets you moving forward. Here are two options my client considered:
- Continuing to do the same thing and stay stuck or
- Change her focus from what she couldn't control (her fear of not knowing the fate of her job) to what she could control (herself and her ability to find opportunities available to her now).
It didn't take her long to choose option 2 since it put her back in control and motivated her to move forward both personally and professionally.
T: Take action and move out of the rut. Once you decide on the best option, you create a goal around it and devise a plan to get you into action. Action is the key ingredient since it motivates you to take responsibility, makes you commit to your goal and sustains you to your desired outcome. My client's goal was now to focus on her professional development. She committed to the following actions: taking bi-monthly educational training courses provided by her company, attending 3 networking events a month and contacting influential people for job prospecting. By taking responsibility and getting into action, she changed her mindset to the positive, realized some great opportunities and reenergized herself both at work and home. Best of all she broke free of her rut.
We all encounter ruts yet we don't have to relive Groundhog Day every day. Just remember the acronym RUT. By realizing the source of the rut, uncovering the options and taking action, you can move beyond your rut and feel empowered and energized.
Megan Walls, Certified Professional Coach, ACC, ELI-MP Conscious Connection
