Stuck in a Rut? Six Ways to Jumpstart Your Life Right Now By Guerline Jasmin             You know how it feels to be stuck in a rut. You’re doing the same activities over and over, and you’re not happy. Maybe you feel bored with your life or burnt out on the job. Perhaps you know what would make you happy, such as a new career or increased responsibility at work, but making that goal a reality seems insurmountable and not even worth trying. So you stay in the same situation you’re currently in, hoping that someday something will change, but it never does. Face it…you’re in a rut!             Being stuck in a rut is never fun. Aside from being bored with your situation, being in a rut also makes you more prone to depression and negative thinking—the two things that will keep you in your rut for even longer. So if you want your situation to change, you must change. Instead of complaining that there’s nothing you can do to make your life better, realize that there’s actually a lot you can do. You just have to get out there, take a risk, and do something.             When you are not making any progress toward a particular goal and feel completely stuck, the key to making a big change is to make little changes. Use the following six guidelines to jumpstart your life out of a rut right now. 1. Think Big…and Small             You need motivation to change. Therefore, think of the new circumstances you want in your life. Envision the new job, the new office, or the new career. Now you have the motivation to actually do something. But don’t stop there. Once you decide what you want, you then need to make a plan to get there. Create a list of action steps that will move you closer to the vision you have for yourself. Realize that your action steps don’t have to be big or monumental leaps. They can be small baby steps that lead you to your goal. Always remember that small steps, done consistently, will get you where you want to go. 2. Be a 100% Responsible             To get unstuck, you have to be 100% responsible for your actions. After all, you are the only person with the power to change your situation. Despite what you may think, your company, the marketplace, and even your family do not have the power to make changes for you. You are in control of your life and must be responsible for making changes. Therefore, don’t complain about your current situation. Sure, your complaints helped you realize that you were dissatisfied with something, but now that you’re aware of what you want or don’t want in life, stop complaining. Your constant negativity will only further drain you and won’t change your situation. For example, if you’re experiencing a bad situation, such as a job loss, instead of concentrating on the job loss and complaining about it, embrace the change and think how you can upgrade your resume or whom you can contact for new job opportunities. 3. 3. Express, Don’t Repress             As you work your way through your rut, don’t suppress your emotions. Instead, experience them fully. Going back to our example of a job loss, perhaps you’re very sad that you lost your job. Maybe you loved that job and wanted to stay with the company for the rest of your working career. Rather than be depressed for weeks or even months, express the emotion you’re feeling. If you feel you need to cry or yell out in rage, then do so. After you’ve let the emotion out, let it be. Don’t dwell on it forever. Experience the emotion and then move on. Remember, each event we experience in our life is a learning opportunity. Find the lesson that’s hidden in your current situation so you can move on. 4. Take Inventory            Schedule time each day to review your past successes. Many times when people get stuck in a rut, they forget about all the great things they did in the past. They are concentrating on the present, which is not so good right now, and they can’t figure out how they’ll get past their current circumstance. However, when you look back at your past successes, you start building your confidence and your inner strength. You are reminded of all your wonderful capabilities and that you can be successful again, if only work toward your goal. 5. Expand Your Focus             It’s easy to want something, whether it’s a new career, a promotion, or even to lose weight. The work happens when you’re making that want a reality. This is when you need to shift your thinking from “wanting” to “having.” Why is a “having mindset” so important? Because when you focus on something in terms of “having,” your subconscious mind will go to work immediately to come up with a number of ways to get the item or circumstance. Therefore, create a picture or scrapbook representing your successful life. Cut out pictures and words from magazines that represent what you want. This step is important, because once you create your vision on paper, it’ll be reinforced in your mind. You can then go through that scrapbook every day to remind yourself of the kind of life you want. Additionally, write down what you want seven times per day. When doing so, be sure to write in the present tense, as if you already have the circumstance. For example, you could write, “I am the best salesperson in the company.” Or, “I have a new 2008 Mercedes Benz.” 6. Do Something             Many people who are stuck in a rut reply to every suggestion or request with the same answer: “Well…I’ll try.” It’s time to reject that answer. You need to either accept, decline, or counter the suggestion. The words “I’ll try” are not motivating and contain the seeds of defeat. The fact is that trying and thinking about doing something are a waste of time and energy. To get out of a rut, you must do something. For example, you can take a different road to and from work. Take a walk during your lunch hour. Meditate fifteen minutes a day. Doing something, whether big or small, will revitalize your life and make you more attune to opportunities. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. So if you really want a change, do something today. No matter what the outcome is of your activity, you’re going to learn something. So take a step toward getting out of the place you don’t want to be anymore. Escape the Rut for Good             Yes, there is hope for you, no matter how long you’ve been in your current rut. And while change can be scary, the secret is to work through the fear. That’s the only way you’re going to make progress and increase your self-confidence. So take 100% responsibility for your life today. Learn from the lessons you uncover, and move forward with passion. Whether your action step is large or small, implement it today. By doing something—anything—you create the needed momentum to drive yourself out of that rut and full speed into the life you’ve always dreamed about. Guerline Jasmin is president of Success Strategies Unlimited, a consultancy in Orlando, Fla., helping individuals and organizations achieve their highest potential. A passionate leader who helps others overcome adversity, Jasmin has a master’s degree in human resource development and is pursuing a Ph.D. in education and leadership. She is also author of the forthcoming book, “How to Keep Your Past from Invading Your Present and Destroying Your Future.”

A Risky Proposition: How to Take Smart Risks to Find Success By Guerline Jasmin             Most people dream of living a more successful life: They want a better job, a salary increase, more responsibility at work, and the respect of their peers. Unfortunately, few people are willing to take the needed risks to make their dreams a reality. Instead, they sit back and watch a select few climb the corporate ladder, while they wallow in self-pity and wonder why good things never happen to them.             The fact is that good things don’t just happen to anyone. Good things happen to those who take risks, thus making their positive outcomes possible. For example, consider sports athletes. The truly great superstars of their game take risks every day. They risk injury during a game with daring plays. They risk getting yelled at by their coach when they make a split-second game decision. They risk complete failure and letting down their entire team when they follow their gut instinct and alter the play mid-game. Sometimes their risks pan out, and sometimes they don’t. However, those who do take risks are the athletes who are household names.             The same is true in business. Every company has a handful of superstars or top achievers who rise among the ranks. And what usually separates these superstars from the masses of employees is the individual’s ability to take a risk. Granted, risk taking isn’t always easy, but it is doable if you follow some solid guidelines. Use the following risk-taking process to enable you to take smart risks and further your professional life. 1. Know what you want to achieve.             Before you take any kind of risk, you first have to know your ultimate goal. Do you want to be the company president within five years? Do you want a thirty percent salary increase at your next review? Do you want to be promoted to management and get the corner office? Whatever your big dream is, state it clearly. Depending on your answer, you can work backwards to map out the steps you would need to take to get there. For example, maybe to get a promotion or a salary increase you need to take a risk by volunteering for new projects. List out all the steps and risks you can think of. Now you have a starting point of how you need to proceed to achieve the goal you’ve outlined. 2. Be aware of the different kinds of risks.             As you’re likely aware, there are smart risks, and then there are stupid risks. A smart risk is calmly and professionally confronting your boss about an injustice that has transpired in the department. A stupid risk is vandalizing his car to make your point. To be successful, you have to take smart risks. That means that before you take the risk you have to do your research. You have to find out what that risk entails so you can make an intelligent decision of whether it’s a good risk or a bad risk. A good risk has a high probability of success. If the odds are stacked against you, you probably won’t succeed. Therefore, you have to make sure you have the facts. For example, if you’re investing money you have to check out the investment: What’s the success rate? What’s the return potential? What’s the timeline for the return? Once you know the facts you can make an informed decision.             In general, there are five kinds of risks to be aware of: Risks that are not yours to take. In other words, it is not up to you to do something or make a decision, so don’t. Unnecessary risks. This is when you take risks without enough information or without thinking it through. Risks you can take. These include volunteering or getting more education. They usually deliver low failure and high success. Risks you can’t afford to take. With such risks, the failure is high, and success is low. Risks you can afford to take. These may be costly but are very rewarding.             The key is to be prepared before you take a risk to make sure it’s something worthwhile and not something that’s going to set you back. 3. Don’t let external conditions distract you.             Often, people let external conditions intimidate them and force them to back away from a risk. For example, perhaps you want to apply for a promotion at work. You mention something to a co-worker about your decision and learn that you’ll have a lot of qualified competition for the job. You do a little checking around and find out that these more-qualified people are indeed applying for the same promotion as you. Because of this information, you decide not to take the risk and not to go for the promotion. You let the competition intimidate you. While knowing what external conditions you’re facing is important, you can’t let this information be your sole decision criterion for whether or not to take the risk. Instead, analyze the external conditions and figure out what makes you different or more likely to succeed. Focus on those positive qualities you bring to the table. Chances are your unique positive attributes will make all the difference. 4. Plan for failure.             Minimize your chances of a negative outcome by always questioning assumptions and by asking yourself what you would do if things don’t go your way, including unanticipated delays, increased expenses, and actions beyond your control. Successful people are never surprised when they take a risk because they have thought through the uncertainties. In their minds, they have been there before. Therefore, they can better respond. So assess and evaluate the worst possible outcome, and keep in mind that things often take longer than expected. In order not to become frustrated in the process, multiply your expected timeframe by three. Finally, make a list of action steps you must take to offset any negative factors you might face. 5. Stop being a spectator.             Getting ahead in business is not a spectator sport. So just because you know what risks you need to take doesn’t mean you’ll achieve success. You now have to get involved and get your hands dirty so you can get where you want to go. If you’re scared, realize that the best way to minimize your fear of a risk is by taking action. Often, our fears are unfounded and have no basis in reality. And the more action you take, the smaller your fears become. So talk to your boss about that raise you want. Ask for more responsibility on the job. Take a prospective mentor out to lunch. As you move forward, be prepared for rejection. Whenever you ask for something, there are only two answers: yes or no. Just because someone says “no” to you doesn’t mean you’re not worthy or that you’re not going to get where you want to go. That’s just part of taking that risk. So take action and do whatever is necessary to make your goals a reality. Remember that a risk without action is merely a dream. Have the courage to take meaningful action steps today. RISK: A Smart Four-Letter Word             Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our risks don’t pan out. Realize that failure is part of the risk-taking process. If possible, have a “plan B” ready in case your risk does not go your way. Then, dissect your results so you can see what happened, learn from your mistakes, and move on. When you move forward with knowledge, your next risk will usually turn out better.             No matter what you want in your professional life, you’ll likely need to take a risk or two to get there. And while the thought of taking risks can be scary, remember that the results are what will set you apart from the crowd. So start planning your next risk right away. The more smart risks you take in your life today, the more positive results you’ll achieve in your future. Guerline Jasmin is president of Success Strategies Unlimited, a consultancy in Orlando, Fla., helping individuals and organizations achieve their highest potential. A passionate leader who helps others overcome adversity, Jasmin has a master’s degree in human resource development and is pursuing a Ph.D. in education and leadership. She is also author of the forthcoming book, “How to Keep Your Past from Invading Your Present and Destroying Your Future.”