Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut? And no matter what you try to do, it seems like you just can’t get out of it.
It can be your relationship. You quarrel with your spouse over a minor issue, and a couple of days later, the same problem happens again, and you both get into a tense argument once more.
Or it can be your financial situation. You have bills to pay and your housing loan is overdue, but you have no more money and you can’t find a way to solve the problem.
Whatever your situation, when you’re stuck in a rut, remember to follow these 5 easy steps so that you can overcome whatever tough situations you’re in…
1. Face the situation and accept it
The first thing you need to do is to face the situation can accept it. That’s right, you have to be brutally honest with yourself and then accept the situation.
The reason you can’t solve a problem, or you continue to get stuck in a rut is that you are not willing to accept the reality that is in front of you.
When you are in debt and have no idea how to get more money to pay your long overdue bills, you have to accept the fact that you have failed to manage your finances.
It is not an easy decision to accept the fact that you have screwed things up, but doing so can help you get out of whatever rut you’re in and move forward and make real progress.
In the best-selling book, Good To Great, author Jim Collins talks about accepting brutal facts. In the book, he wrote…
“You absolutely cannot make a series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts.”
You see, many people fail to make a change in their life because they are deluding themselves with false hopes that are likely to lead them to their downfall. They always think they are right and what they do is always correct.
But the fact you are stuck in a rut means that there’s something you did wrong. You made a mistake, and it is time to accept the fact and make a positive change.
When your relationship is about to break or when your business is about to go bankrupt, face it. Be honest with yourself and accept the brutal facts. And then proceed to do something about it…
2. Pinpoint the reason you are stuck in a rut
The second step to getting yourself out of a rut is to pinpoint the reason you are stuck in the first place.
So, if you are having a relationship issue, why? Or if you are in a financial crisis, why? Why are you in debt? Here are a couple of reasons why people are in debt…
- Low-income or unemployed
- Poor money management
- Spending lavishly and overuse of credit cards
- Unexpected expenses like medical costs
It doesn’t matter what causes you to be in debt, the key is to identify the reason and so you can formulate a solution and fix the situation.
For instance, if you are deeply in debt and unable to pay your bills, why? Is it because you’re unemployed and not bringing in any money? Or is it because you have a bad spending habit and always overuse credit cards?
If the reason is that you are unemployed, then you should know what to do next. And if you have a bad spending habit, you can also work on a plan to get rid of the bad habit.
You see, when you have identified the cause, you can work on a solution to get yourself out of the rut, which is what we’re going to talk about in the next step…
3. Find the fix and work out a solution
Now that you know what is causing you to be stuck in a rut, it is time to work out a solution and change the situation.
Of course, this is easier said than done, but you have to understand that every problem has a solution. If there’s no solution, then there will be no problem.
Let’s say your housing loan is overdue and you need to find extra money to make the payment, how are you going to do that?
You can sit down in a quiet room, and then proceed to write down all possible solutions. You can borrow, take another loan, sell off things, take another job, start a side hustle, or sell a service.
Whatever you do, the key is to get you into action mode.
Read: 3 Major Factors Stopping You From Taking Action And How To Overcome Them
You have to understand that one reason you’re stuck in a rut is that you’re not doing anything to change the situation in the first place.
Hence, if you want to overcome it, you must do something, anything, to get out of the rut.
Even if what you do can’t fully solve your financial problem, as long as you keep doing something, you will eventually get the problem solved.
When you take action, you are building up momentum and new ideas will come to you. I like this saying from Tony Robbins…
“People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
That’s why you want to constantly take action and not stay stuck.
4. Make real changes and take action to get yourself out of the rut
If you are serious and are truly committed to getting yourself out of a rut, you must make real decisions and take action.
Without action, nothing moves and there will be no changes. And guess what will happen? You’ll continue to be stuck where you are.
If you don’t do something about your relationship, it will only get worse. The same goes for every other area of your life.
Many people only talk about their problems, they don’t talk about what they are going to do to get unstuck.
And depending on what kind of problem you want to solve, you can take small and consistent actions or massive and impulsive actions.
If you are overweight and have been trying to get back in shape for a long time, but you failed to stick to your plan, it is time to make a real decision and change.
For instance, you can develop a new habit of exercising for just 5 minutes a day. That’s right, 5 minutes a day. You start small and then once the habit sticks, you can grow it to 10 or 15 minutes.
Or if you are in a dire situation and you need immediate changes, then you can take immersive and massive action.
Just like if you have to pay your loan in 10 days, you can hustle day and night to make enough money for the payment.
Again, the key is to take action so that you don’t get stuck in your life forever.
By the way, you can attend this web class here and learn how to change your brain to change your income.
5. Get help and ask for support
And finally, go and get help. Sometimes, it is a wise choice to seek help.
You see, getting out of a rut isn’t always something easy. When you get stuck and continue to think negatively, things can get worse.
At this moment, friends and family are important. They can be your pillars of support and give you the encouragement and advice you may require.
And when needed, you can also consider getting help from a therapist. And most of the time, getting a coach can help too.
Read: Do You Really Need A Mentor? Here’s What You Need to Know
So, don’t be afraid to ask for help. No man is an island. Getting someone to help you may just be the thing you need to get back on track and thrive in life.