Get in a Rut! And Stay There, by ACHUCKAllen
It seems so backward. We often think that ruts are something we are supposed to get out of. What if we were to get in the right rut and constantly improve that rut as we continue to develop and mature?
I find that we spend so much energy to get out of a rut when we might simply need to refine it, not create a new rut. Many of us are now on DAY 3 of our new year – new you goals, and most of us have already dropped off the goal map into the land where dragons live.
I have found that most real, sustainable change happens as a result of tweaking a routine, rather than creating a mass change goal system that simply isn’t sustainable. Think about this statement and get your head wrapped around the power of this statement:
Is it easier to sustain a goal that starts with you doing 100 push-ups each morning, starting from scratch, or is it more sustainable to start with two sets of three push-ups and add one push-up to each set over one year?
We like the goals that set us up for failure. Like “I’m going to lose 100 pounds this year, but I’m going to start next Monday.” It’s a brutal cycle. We set the goal, we cannot sustain the change, we give up on the goal and finally feel defeated and frustrated.
These ROUTINES can radically change the trajectory of our lives, but only if they are achievable and sustainable. Here are a few ideas to sharpen your goals for 2018, using a POWER ROUTINE STRATEGY:
- If you want to write a book, commit to writing 15 minutes each Monday – Friday. At the end of 52 weeks, you will have written 3,900 minutes, which is more than enough to accomplish the creation of your first book project.
- If you want to read the Bible in 365 days, follow a plan that allows you to read about 20 minutes each day, and you’ll make it.
- If you want to run a 5K, start by walking 1 mile 4 times a week, add 1/2 mile to that each week, until you are up to 3 miles, then jog/walk every other mile until you can jog a solid mile without stopping…and so on.I think you get the idea.
Where we seem to struggle with these POWER ROUTINES is in our spiritual development. What if we were to see our spiritual development through the same lens as the 5K? We would start by praying twice each day for something other than a meal, for 2 minutes. Commit to a 3-day reading plan on He Reads Truth or She Reads Truth. Then expand that to a 7-day plan. Capture what you are grateful for each morning. Get it?
POWER ROUTINES can reshape your thoughts, focus your mind and center your heart on those things which matter most.
I’ll be sharing more on this subject of POWER ROUTINES over the next two Sundays at SUGARHILLChurch. Be sure to join me for one of our Worship Gatherings, or join me online or Facebook.
Sustainable ruts and routines seem to always start small and dream big!
I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for my article and 5-minute video
that unpacks this power-filled statement:
Know the difference between what you feel and what you want.
They are usually different!
Get in the Right Rut and Stay in It!
–AChuck
