But it doesn’t have to be that way. The 1st step in getting out of the rut is to stop making excuses and assume responsibility for the quality of your life. You can change your life situation today. How do I know? I know because others have done it. There will always be obstructions, but none that can’t be overcome. The only requirement is the desire to change. Mark Twain once said “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” If your “prefer to” is strong enough, you can achieve almost anything you set your mind to.

The 2nd step to getting out of the rut is step out in faith and, as the Nike commercial says, “Just do it”. There has no time like the present to change course. You might not succeed the first time, but you must keep trying. Success will go with persistence. Remember the old saying “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Don’t worry about making a mistake. Einstein once said “anybody who’s never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

So step out. Take chances, and as William Durant, the founder of General Motors said “Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”