How to finally bust out of your career rut (for real).

You’ve done everything right.  You graduated (maybe a couple of times). Chose a career. Plotted out a 5 and 10-year plan. Set goals. Achieved those goals.

So why does something not feel right?

Maybe you’re feeling like this road you’ve been working so hard to conquer – is headed in the wrong direction – or like the pavement turned to sand – or like the road disappeared completely. Maybe you feel trapped between continuing to walk the same road and choosing a new one.

I get it. You’ve invested years of blood, sweat and tears to reach your goal destination.

How could you possibly change course now?  Where would you even start?

If you are feeling like this, chances are you are stuck in a career rut.

Being in a rut is sort of like running a marathon on a track instead of the open road. Sure you’re still moving but you aren’t really getting anywhere.

At work this translates into the feeling that every day is the same.  That you could show up and do your job with your eyes closed. That the work gets done – but you aren’t getting anywhere. A career rut is characterized by lack of forward movement, slow or no growth, and overwhelming dullness.

And being stuck in a rut – sucks.

Do You?

• feel like you’re on a hamster wheel

• feel stagnant

• feel unhappy

• feel trapped

• feel uninspired

• feel unmotivated

• get the Sunday Blues

• feel uninspired

• avoid talking about what you do

• get jealous of friends who like their work

• fantasize about quitting

If you said yes to three or more of those statements, it’s likely you are experiencing a career rut.

Here’s the deal. Ruts happen. Even to really smart, driven and successful people.  Even to people like you.

It seems pretty likely that in a 40+ year career you are going to hit a rut at some point, maybe even several times.

You might even be in a rut now.

But that doesn’t mean you have to get stuck there.

The truth is your time, energy and life are too valuable to accept being stuck in a rut.

So its time to bust out of your rut now.

Here’s the simple – not necessarily easy – process I walk my clients through to help them get unstuck and forge a new path.

1. Seek Clarity – You can’t get out of a rut if you don’t know why you are there. Three questions to seek the answers to are: What is specifically making me feel stuck? What is my role in getting out of this rut? What does being unstuck look like?

2. Motivate Change – Inertia is powerful. Nothing is going to change if you aren’t crystal clear on your why for creating change. Know your why – then post it somewhere incredibly visible to keep you on track.

3. Create Your Game Plan – Nothing happens without a plan. If you are serious about breaking out of your rut, investing the time to create an action plan is priceless. A person with a well laid out plan is unstoppable.

4. Enlist Support – Chances are you didn’t find your way into the rut alone – and you won’t be able to get out of it alone either. You’ll want people in your corner in three categories: emotional (friends or family), professional (bosses or mentors) and accountability (a coach).

Getting unstuck won’t happen over night. Expecting quick fixes may actually jeopardize your ability to bust out of the rut.  But focusing on the four steps above will help you move forward.

If you’re not quite sure where to start – lets talk.