Have you hit a rut?

Then you must be driving in western Massachusetts! Badumpbump! Literally, bump. We are fortunate enough to have pothole season that follows winter and comes right before mud season. You thought there were only four seasons? How fun is it that we have so many here?

I was driving this am to get fuel, aka coffee, and I thought of the parallel between the ruts in our roads and the ones we can get into in our lives. They are pretty similar. Hit one just right and it can take out the undercarriage of your car (literal) or your body (life). Then will come the repair cost or emotional turmoil. Once that is walked through there is the debt it incurs on the checkbook or the energy leak that happens when we give a story too much attention. Phew, who knew one little rut could do all that damage? I would imagine the mechanic does, as do I, when I see people beat themselves up for hitting the rut in the first place!

Cars as a metaphor for our lives is not a new concept but doesn't it feel good to use an external example to understand what may be going on with self? Anyone who has done a class or session with me knows I LOVE metaphors. They are so handy. They give a bit of distance from a situation and can allow the person to see their situation as something that is not so personal thereby helping to come up with a solution.

We are a quarter of the way through the year already. Can you imagine? I think back to the beginning of the year and the plans I had for this first quarter. Some I have followed through on and some are in the ongoing pile. I've assessed if they still belong there and the ones that don't, have gotten tossed. Do you ever take the time to look at where you are today and what aligns with you? Alignments aren't only for cars that hit big bumps you know.

So, have you hit a rut? Do you feel like you are inside a big ole pot hole and could use a rope to pull your buns out of there? Or perhaps a ladder and you can climb out on your own power. How fun would that be? I know you can do it.

Look around you and see if there is a workaround to this rut. Is there a way to travel around the tendency to get in your own way?  Could you speak to a coach, a therapist, a Belief Specialist perhaps? :) Could you pick one item to take care of and feeling the momentum of that, move on to another? It really does work to create a list, prioritize and work off the list.  It may seem scary at first, but organized energy always feels good.

For this week, what if you looked at that rut as an indication of where great movement could happen? What if you saw it as a tool of redirection, go around the pot hole, and focus, don't hit the pothole!  There is always another way to look at a situation. It takes creativity and sometimes bravery but once you shift, it will carry it's own momentum and will feel supportive.

If you need a little help navigating the ruts of life, give me a call. If it is truly your car, well, I have a great mechanic I can suggest!

Appreciating the redirection of a rut,

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com