Tuesday, April 17, 2012

From S.O.S. to T.N.T


In a rut Footpath track near nursery at Abingworth
In a rut Footpath track near nursery at Abingworth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Even though we may hate ruts, it often is easier being in one than making an effort to climb out.
Ruts are predictable, non-demanding, and no matter how unappealing, have a comfort zone we dare to admit feels much like a good old worn shoe. The problem with ruts is that they are areas in our lives validating our S.O.S.(same old stuff). Maybe the rut is a problem we need to deal with but don't want to address, a career we constantly complain about but do little to seek a different work path or a goal we have talked about doing most of our lives but have never really put any wheels in motion to achieve. Maybe your rut grows deeper daily while you talk about what you really want to do, like write a book, learn a new skill, volunteer, pay down debt, make peace with your family, become more organized, grow a garden, start a blog, find different employment or stick to a budget. We know we should be taking the steps to get out of the rut and move on, but we are simply so used to S.O.S. we are immobilized and begin to make excuses why we have never actually made attempts to leave the rut behind.

There's one thing that will get you out of your rut faster than anything...T.N.T.! (Try New Things)
Make a conscientious decision to create a list of things you really want to do and then begin crossing them off as you make more intentional commitments to go after what you really want. What kind of new things could you do? Well, create a bucket list, start a much needed volunteer group at your child's school, rescue an animal, take pictures of things you hope to accomplish and create a panorama of future opportunities, learn how to play an instrument, take up a sport you never learned, write letters to people who inspire you and tell them why, eat one new food weekly, cook one new recipe regularly, change the color scheme of some of the rooms in your house, begin a collection, visit places you always wanted to go, try on a new religion, wear a color you never wear, sell or give away stuff you never use, teach someone else how to do something...Just Try New Things!

മലയാളം: കമ്പിത്തിരി



Michael and Claudia Good decided that they would live a very intentional life, something far different from the boring, ordinary or complacent life most young people their age live. Michael and Claudia aren't trapeze artists or walk tightropes, go into cages with live lions or even jump out of airplanes, but they still take calculated risks and intentionally live their lives deliberately avoiding ruts. Visit them at http://rise365. You will immediately discover something different about this couple because they don't want ordinary, don't want status quo, don't want typical and definitely don't want to wake up one day and discover an S.O.S. rut from when they were just young parents. 


You will never find your fire if you keep looking for it in the rut...Give it some T.N.T?
What are the NEW THINGS you need to try?

 
Firecrackers Bahasa Indonesia: Petasan
Firecrackers Bahasa Indonesia: Petasan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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6 comments:

  1. Great inspiration, Kathy! I finally succeeded in getting out of my rut when I quit teaching and began writing full time. How I love it!
    Blessings to you!

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    1. Sounds like you made a wonderful decision and couldn't be happier. Glad you got out, Martha.

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  2. Oh how I hat ruts...I climbed out of mine and now live to love and laugh rarely a thought as to where that might lead. It is not necessarily easy, but oh so fulfilling...:)

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    1. You are right Jan. Sometimes we get in a rut over something like just always taking ourselves to seriously. Living to love and laugh sounds unpredictably delightful to me!
      Thanks for the comment.

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  3. Kathy,

    What a great reminder and thanks for the shout out! It's so true, trying new things has been huge for my wife, Claudia, and me!

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