Have you ever had those times where you felt as if you were just going through the motions? It’s not that things are necessarily going badly because you are making progress on certain things and overall life is okay.
It is just that the status quo has kind of set in and taken a hold on your life.
Now, you may think that really is not an issue or a big deal. It is just the way life goes, right?
You have those periods where you have it all together and are really pushing forward. These are the times you are charged up, energized, doing great things and accomplishing a lot. It is obvious that everything is changing and moving in the right direction.
BUT … you also have those other times where it is just about going through the motions and plugging through day after day.
Well, it may be time for a reality check.
I actually had to have one myself awhile ago and I realized I needed to change things up, expect a little more out of life and really start pushing and driving things forward.
If you end up just going through the motions for too long or settling for anything less than living a remarkable life, it is very possible that it becomes your new normal and standard operating procedure.
We definitely don’t want that.
Oprah said something amazing I came across the other day:
Life is about growth and change. When you are no longer doing both, that is your whisper that you are supposed to do something else.
That statement hit me like a ton of bricks and it brings me to 2 questions I have for you (that I also asked myself):
(1) Are you growing as a person?
(2) Are things positively changing in your life right now? (Now, this doesn’t mean that your life is free of challenges because we all have issues and challenges from time to time. It just means that overall are things positively changing and moving in the right direction?)
You need to be able to honestly answer “yes” to both questions which means:
(1) You can say for sure you are learning and getting better and better at living.
- You are really going after and pursuing what you want
- You are understanding more and more about yourself, what you are meant to do, and how to have the best relationships and interactions with other people
- You know how to feel your best and be at your best
AND
(2) When you step back and look at your life, you can see there are continual positive things happening
- Positive changes are regularly happening in your life
- You are riding with the wave of life and can see all the great things that come along with that
Now, those are both pretty big things and we really may not be able to answer both of these questions 100% “yes”. That is understandable and there is no reason to hit the panic button if you can’t emphatically answer both of these questions “yes”. However, it does mean that it is probably time to change some things up.
It’s not a huge problem if you recognize that there may be an issue.
It is a HUGE problem if you choose to do nothing and ignore the fact that you really aren’t changing, growing, going after what you want and making progress like you should be.
And, let’s be honest, we can be masters when it comes to justifying and explaining things away.
We either convince ourselves that the status quo is acceptable and maintaining it is our safest route. Or, we end up sitting still because we can’t figure out the best way forward and we don’t take those steps we need to.
So, what’s the solution?
No more going through the motions. It is time to move
(even if you feel you have been moving, it’s time to move even more. It is time to shift up a gear and really get things going).
You have so much potential and you never want to wake up one day and realize you wasted any of it … even one little drop is too much.
It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone has the potential to do something amazing and to live a remarkable life where they are continually growing and changing.
However, the different and great thing about those people that are continually growing and changing is that they are always going for it. They rarely, if ever, just go through the motions. They don’t settle. They don’t make excuses.
They do what they need to do and have the courage to move on and go after new things when the time is right.
Now, this doesn’t mean you are supposed to just do things without thinking them through and setting yourself up for success.
But, it ABSOLUTELY does mean that you shouldn’t allow yourself to get stuck in the holding pattern of the status quo because it is easy and safe.
I am a believer that any type of action and movement is good. Perhaps you are at the point where you just need to put together a plan. Or, maybe you have planned enough and it is time for you to start moving and taking the next step. Whatever the case may be, the most important thing is that you are taking ACTION and making things HAPPEN.
We are supposed to be learning, growing, overcoming obstacles, making progress and discovering more and more about what we are really capable of. If we aren’t doing things in our life that are encouraging this, then it is time to change things up.
Life really is about growth and change. That is something we should never forget. Thanks Oprah for that lesson.
It’s time to MOVE.
What are you going to do TODAY?
Live Today Better than Yesterday.
I’m here to help. Questions? Comments? Just want to say hello? Leave a comment below, hit me on Twitter, send me an e-mail. It is always great to hear from you.
This post is so insightful and encouraging! I’m in a process of growth and change right now, but it is a reminder that when this season is over, then I need to keep moving. I loved your admonition at the end to “Live today better than yesterday.” It’s a great motto to hold all the way through life!
Hi Sibyl,
it comes down to choice. Choose a great Life or not. Think that you can do it, then learn how to do it, believe that you can do it.
be good to yourself
David
This really struck a chord with me Sybil. I’ve been like that all my life. I get stuck into something new, go for it 110% and as soon as there’s nothing more to learn, when the average person would sit back and finally relax, I get bored and start looking for my next adventure. If I’m not learning or growing, I might as well be dead… LOL
Hugs,
Melody
We all have to choose in life. It’s better to make the decision that will help you gorw, even if it’s hard, so you can spread your wings and fly, like an bald eagle!!! Great post.
Hey Jonathan,
Good to see you in the comments again. Hope school and everything else is going well.
Hi Sibyl,
Nice message behind this post! As humans, we have got to keep learning day after day and grow. I consider myself a student of life. There is always something to learn, to improve. Change is good if it is positive, this is why we should always learn to incorporate good habits. This is a major key to success and achievement. Thanks for sharing Sibyl
Hi Sibyl,
It is so easy to get comfortable in our comfort zones and go through the motions without thinking. But routine is a double-edge sword. While it may make our lives easy when it comes to mundane chores, applied to more important matters can cause us to stagnate. As you rightly point out, we stop growing and changing.
You are absolutely right that we have to do something about it if we find that we are no longer growing and changing. One way to go about it is to gain inspiration from the stories of others. By reading or watching something inspiring, it would go some way in helping us to kick start our engines again to grow and change.
Thank you for showing us how to live today better than yesterday!
Irving the Vizier
Hey Sibyl, thanks for your thoughts. We don’t need to be afraid of our issues and challenges of our lives. We just need to proactively lean INTO them. THAT’S where the growth comes from.
Let’s all stay in the game, pushing against our challenges, and grow! Right on Sibyl.
Sibyl,
I have been going through the motions for years and now I am desperate to get out. There are so many stories and examples that come to mind that would relate right to this post but for the sake of time and to avoid carpel tunnel I will say I have a lot more work to do. I go through the motions at my job. I go through the motions at my church. I go through the motions with my family. Let me just say that the status quo is not enough. Now with a renewed focus I am going to do something new, something fresh, something not in my normal routine and lets see what happens. I trust your judgement Sibyl.
You are describing how I felt the last year of working, and that’s how I knew it was time to retire. I loved my job so much, really everything about it. But the last year, I could see that I was coasting on what I already knew how to do. I wasn’t growing anymore, and more significantly, I wasn’t motivated to grow in that direction anymore. It was time for a change. When our ruts are pleasant, as mine was, it is very hard first of all to even see it, and second to do something about it. Your advice is both motivating and practical, as always!
Hi Sibyl,
Great picture. That is how I have been feeling at work. I find it pretty interesting since I just came off a 10 week leave of absence. I am hearing that whisper you are talking about to do something different.
Thanks Sibyl,
I am actually going through the process of switching up some things and getting out of a little slump. You are so right when you mentioned that the feeling of going through the motions is not a one time deal. It happens every now and then. I think it’s just been happening a little too often for me. It’s time to take charge and make things happen! Thanks for the article.
Taking charge and making things happen is what it is all about Aaron. So glad that you are going to be out of that slump really soon
You may already have worked it through your system. Once you realize that there is an issue and choose to do something about it, the biggest step has been taken. Thanks so much for the comment.