What does this really mean? It’s obviously not something that regular occurs in our lives, but it happens, right? A bit like getting your tyres bogged in mud – you know it when it happens but the more critical question one needs to ask oneself is ‘how do I get out of this!’
And that’s the thing about being human. We are natural problem solvers and our very essence is in improvement. It’s nature after all. If you don’t believe that to be true, plant a tree and watch what happens.
So if we are travelling along okay, why bother changing anything? Well firstly, let’s start with a few signs that maybe you are in a bit of a funk. The more bullet points you find yourself relating to, the more likely that you’re stuck and may need to make some life changes.
- Your days start feeling the same, where it’s not weird to look up and ask, “Is it Monday or Wednesday today?”
- You don’t look forward to doing much throughout the day (except maybe eat and sleep)
- If someone were to ask you how you’re doing or what you’ve been up do, honestly, you’d end up saying “meh” or worse still “good”.
- You know that change will make you happier in the long run, but continue to stick with the same situation since you won’t be risking any pain or failure…
- …So then you get sick of hearing yourself complain about being stressed, tired and unfulfilled.
It could feel like you’re treading water, running in one place and getting nowhere near close to where you really would rather be, it could certainly be you are in that funk.
But let’s admit it, everyone gets into the ruts every once in a while. It happens to the best of us. And what distinguishes the successful from the average, is understanding why stagnancy – or complacency – is one of our biggest inhibitors, and how to overcome it pronto.
Why Bother…Again?
Whether you’ve become complacent in your job, lost motivation for your workout programs, or just cannot get the creative juices flowing for your writing, it’s crucial to understand why movement facilitates and – like I’d mentioned previously – being stagnant inhibits.
I’ll use an example here. Say you have a pond that becomes stagnant:
- The water stops flowing or running
- It becomes inactive or dull
- It gets abandoned
- Thus, life won’t thrive
As exaggerated as it may seem, see how it starts to draw parallels to certain life experiences?
When you come to acknowledge the impact being stagnant has, you’re already at an advantage. You’ve got the grit to get out (and that’s the hard part!)
So where do you start?
There are many ways of getting out. Changing up your routine. Reigniting your purpose. Taking a break etc. You can even check out one of my previous posts about overcoming it through taking baby steps (refer to my previous post below).
Have you ever been stuck? If so, how’d you get out?