I’ve been in a rut. How do I know? Because I’ve been trodding the same ground over and over, going nowhere. I thought I was on a path but realized I was in a rut when I no longer had a destination in sight.

When you’re in a rut, you know exactly where you are. It becomes a comfort zone, but unfortunately, a comfort zone doesn’t lead anywhere. The rut can get so deep that you can’t even see over the top anymore. I lost sight of my destination, and even forgot what it was. In fact, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted my destination to be anymore, so I had no clear direction in which to go. Paths have a way of changing directions on their own.

“You don’t want to be stuck in this rut? Then don’t look at the rut. Always look at where you want to go.” Francesco Quinn

A path can be a scary place to be which is why a rut can be so comfortable. How did I get off the path? I sure spent a lot of time planning, making lists, and doing research, but n

ever taking action. There are expectations and risks on the path but none in the rut. I came to realize that planning without action is procrastination. When I take action, I may fail. I may not arrive where I want to be, but without action, failure is guaranteed and I will go nowhere.

“We all fall into our habits, our routines, our ruts. They’re used quite often, consciously or unconsciously, to avoid living, to avoid doing the messy part of having relationships with other people, of dealing with a person next to us. That’s why we can all be in a room on our cell phones and not have to deal with one another.” Andrew Stanton

As comfortable as this rut is, I don’t want to stay here. It’s time to once again evaluate where I want to go and forge a new path. The thing about paths is that there isn’t just one path. I have walked many different paths in my life. There is no wrong or right path, there’s only my path—the one I create and choose. Choosing a path is important but also knowing when to step off that path and forge a new one.

“Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have traveled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another.” Maya Angelou

I know I am on the right path when it leads me to explore, learn, push my boundaries, and grow.

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” Henry David Thoreau

Are you on a path or in a rut? Are you ready to move ahead on your current path, stay stuck in the mud, or forge a brand new path? The choice is yours.