I mean, the kind of rut that is lifelong?
It's scary. I've been there.
It's the feeling of knowing that this is it. This is all life is cracking up to be to for you. No need to set goals, no need to dream big. Today is the status quo and it's time to embrace it, because this is your life.
Don't get me wrong--I am absolutely not counting being a mother or a wife in this rut. Having a family of my own is one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.
What I'm REALLY talking about is losing your sparkle. What makes you YOU.
Wake up.
Get ready.
Go to work.
Come home.
Make dinner.
Go to bed.
Repeat.
Where is the sparkle in that?
Truth is, my sparkle was DULL, you guys. Monotony and ho-hum got the best of me. But the strange thing is, I wasn't always that way.
I've always been a dreamer, but I've always been the type who didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a marine biologist with a focus in marine conservation (I was wildly into Free Willy, but woefully horrible at science).
Then, in high school, I wanted to be a psychologist and help people. When I applied to college, I was a psychology major.
The day I showed up for freshman orientation I met with my advisor and switched my major to Political Science. Law school, I told myself, I could focus on law and how to help others that way.
And then by my senior year I was so burnt out from my workload that I decided law school was not in the stars for me and that I wanted to work for a nonprofit organization. The fact is, I've always just wanted to make a difference. To someone, somehow.
So, that's what I did. I went to work for a nonprofit organization. And it was awesome.
Until one day, about three years later, I didn't work there anymore.
I am especially grateful for the following 10 months, because I was able to stay home with our new baby and really come into my own as a mother. Eventually, though, all good things come to an end and it was time to go back to work. So I got myself a job. A challenging, completely-new-to-me job for a privately-owned company in an industry I had ZERO experience in.
And at first I was grateful.
And then I got comfortable.
And then I became resigned.
Day in, day out. Same old, same old. No more fire to create change. No more dreaming. No more planning. This. Was. It.
Resignation is probably the worst feeling ever, because you feel like your only option is to accept the status quo. Get too comfortable and you find you're just going through the motions.
I was listening to Brendon Burchard's very first podcast, and he likens this stage to a caged lion. At first the lion is active in his cage--prowling, moving, very much still engaged in his new environment. After some time, the lion begins to just sit back...to the point that Sir Lion is now no longer an active participant in life. Life just happens. Days go by.
And then Brendon Burchard says this: it takes something to come along and rattle the cage to get them engaged again.
I am SO THANKFUL that God dropped this coaching gig into my lap to rattle my cage!
By starting my own journey, I realized that I could be a catalyst for positive change for others.
To love on people when they need it most.
To be that person in their court when they feel like no one else is there.
To be a partner.
A cheerleader.
A friend.
And just like that, that fire in my belly is burning again to make a difference...except now I know that I can. It's not up to a job to give me that feeling. It's not up to my degree to give me that feeling.
It's up to ME to reach out to someone or be there when someone asks for help...and then show them and guide them to change for the better.
It's empowering, knowing I've got that in me.
It's inspiring, seeing how CHANGE is possible in the most intricate ways.
It gives me hope, seeing the example I set for my family.
It's eye-opening, envisioning the future.
It's life-changing, because it has encouraged me to dream dreams I never thought possible. To set goals that used to be unreachable.
To DARE to say "I can, and I will."
And then work hard for it, every day.
Finding that sparkle, and shining that light.
Resignation is probably the worst feeling ever, because you feel like your only option is to accept the status quo. Get too comfortable and you find you're just going through the motions.
I was listening to Brendon Burchard's very first podcast, and he likens this stage to a caged lion. At first the lion is active in his cage--prowling, moving, very much still engaged in his new environment. After some time, the lion begins to just sit back...to the point that Sir Lion is now no longer an active participant in life. Life just happens. Days go by.
And then Brendon Burchard says this: it takes something to come along and rattle the cage to get them engaged again.
I am SO THANKFUL that God dropped this coaching gig into my lap to rattle my cage!
By starting my own journey, I realized that I could be a catalyst for positive change for others.
To love on people when they need it most.
To be that person in their court when they feel like no one else is there.
To be a partner.
A cheerleader.
A friend.
And just like that, that fire in my belly is burning again to make a difference...except now I know that I can. It's not up to a job to give me that feeling. It's not up to my degree to give me that feeling.
It's up to ME to reach out to someone or be there when someone asks for help...and then show them and guide them to change for the better.
It's empowering, knowing I've got that in me.
It's inspiring, seeing how CHANGE is possible in the most intricate ways.
It gives me hope, seeing the example I set for my family.
It's eye-opening, envisioning the future.
It's life-changing, because it has encouraged me to dream dreams I never thought possible. To set goals that used to be unreachable.
To DARE to say "I can, and I will."
And then work hard for it, every day.
Finding that sparkle, and shining that light.
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