questions to ask yourself to determine if you're truly stuck in a rut.

1. Do I often feel like I’m working really hard but not making much progress?

 If you’ve ever seen a hamster or a mouse on a wheel and could relate, you may be stuck in a rut. You know how to put in a strong effort when necessary. In fact, you tend to give everything 100% effort and that usually works. But for some reason you don’t feel like your hard work is paying off. It’s not pushing you to the place you think you should be.

2. Do I find myself taking unnecessary risks to inject some excitement into my life?

 There are people who are real life adrenaline junkies. They enjoy the high that comes from taking a crazy risk and succeeding. So I understand if you’re one of those types of people. But there is a huge difference between being an adrenaline junkie and just being bored. Adrenaline junkies tend to work really hard to make sure that they can handle the things they enjoy doing. They tend to be in great shape and have trained extensively. No one who does extreme sports just goes out and decides to do a ski jump off of the side of a mountain without knowing how to ski really well. If you only workout three times a week and you suddenly decide to buy a motorcycle and start racing, you are more than likely bored. You have to be willing to put the work in to build that skill first. Yes your life will become more exciting but not until you’ve put a lot of practice in first. You can’t just hop on a motorcycle and race it if you don’t know how to ride slowly. If you find yourself randomly jumping headfirst into risky situations to make your life more exciting, you may be stuck in a rut.

3. Am I waiting impatiently for the days to go by until I can go on vacation? 

If you’ve found a way to incorporate vacation time into your schedule, that’s great. You are definitely on the right track. It’s important to make sure that you have down time on a consistent basis. However it’s not helpful if you spend all of your time waiting until you are on vacation to enjoy life. Some people spend their days waiting for that time when they can go on vacation or enjoy time off from work. Then their lives begin to revolve around the days off. It can become a pattern. If this has become your pattern then you may be stuck in a rut. 

4. Is my mojo gone?

 There could come a time when you no longer feel quite like yourself. You may still be rocking and rolling at work and at home but you no longer get the same thrill. You’ve gotten so accustomed to functioning at your current level that it no longer fuels you. This is what many people experience when they get stuck in a rut. You may not be able to articulate exactly what’s not right but you know it’s something.

5. Do I feel like my life is happening around me? Have you ever felt like your life was swirling around you like a hurricane of activity? There are situations where it can feel like you’re the center of a hurricane but that shouldn’t be how you define your life. Your life shouldn’t be happening to you. It should be happening with you. When you start to feel as if you don’t have control over your daily activities, you may be stuck in a rut.

The thing about being stuck in a rut is that it doesn’t mean you aren’t working, moving or advancing. You could very well be doing all of those things. You probably are. The problem is that what you’ve been doing isn’t fulfilling you. This can be frustrating, especially if those things once made you feel happy and fulfilled. 

When you start experiencing these feelings, you are most likely stuck in a rut. Being stuck in a rut involves taking a step back from your life and assessing why you feel that way.

It’s important to figure out why you feel stuck so you can zero in on the area that needs changing. It’s virtually impossible to pull yourself out of a rut or give yourself the push you need if you don’t know why it’s necessary. However, there are some other situations that can keep you tucked safely inside your comfort zone as well. Although they’re not to be confused with being stuck in a rut, they must also be considered.