This past summer, I went to my first baseball game and had a ball (no pun intended). Even though the New York Yankees lost miserably to the visiting team, I had a great time because it was something I'd never done before. The sheer novelty of the experience made it interesting, fun and worthwhile.
I'm ashamed to admit that despite having lived in New York for over 12 years, I had never been to Yankees Stadium. Well, now I can check that off my to-do list. Obviously, I have other, more significant, goals on my to-do list, but it's weird how a little thing like going to a baseball game can help you make important life realizations.
The Bell Jar
Sometimes the slide into a rut--whether it's in your career or your personal life--is so gradual you don't even realize it. It's not dissimilar to what happens when you cook a frog. Chefs who prepare frogs say that if you threw a frog into a vat of boiling water, the frog will immediately jump out--an instinctual reaction to the high heat. However, if you place the frog in a pot of cold water and gradually turn the fire up on the stove, the frog slowly boils to death because it acclimates to the incremental increases in water temperature. Basically, the frog dies without realizing it because it slowly got used to the gradual changes in its environment.
While this example may be a bit morbid, it illustrates an important point: Some of are figuratively being boiled to death without realizing it. An antidote is to try and experience new things. Variety really is the spice of life! Having new experiences and undertaking new challenges is crucial, not only for enjoying life that much more, but also for personal growth.
Too often, many of us stop developing as human beings once we graduate from school, start working or having families. At least, that was the old paradigm. Today we realize that life doesn't have to stop (or slow down) simply because we get married or become parents or get older or retire. And this knowledge opens our eyes to all kinds of amazing opportunities for personal enrichment and enjoyment.
Overcoming Plateaus
Similarly, people fall into fitness plateaus all the time by doing the same routine. If you've hit a plateau in losing weight or in building muscle, an effective foil is to switch up your exercise routine or dietary intake to "fool" your body. By making adjustments in your routine, your body shakes itself out of complacency and changes.
For example, if you run on a treadmill at the same speed and resistance for every workout, your body knows exactly what to expect every time you step on it. To break out of this plateau, you have to surprise or shock your body. When the body gets a jolt from the blue, it gets "traumatized." To deal with this, it expends much more energy than what it had been burning doing the same old routine. And that's how it changes.
By the same token, some of us need to shock ourselves out of our own self-imposed ruts. The beauty of this is that change can happen in an instant. Any recovering alcoholic or drug addict can attest to this fact. All it takes is one small step in a different direction. This is important to keep in mind, because oftentimes when we get stuck in ruts we lose sight of the fact that we can get ourselves out. It all starts with one small step.
Keep on Truckin'
Recently, a lady named Nola Ochs graduated from college. At 95, she is the world's oldest college graduate, having received her bachelor's degree from Fort Hays State University in Kansas. Nola started taking occasional college classes 35 years ago after the death of her husband in 1972. At a time when most people are dead or preparing for it, Nola just keeps on truckin'. She's now making plans to get her master's degree. Now that's what I call breaking out of a rut.
Samantha Chang is the executive editor of TheImproper.com, a lifestyle publication based in New York. Previously, Samantha was the associate editorial director at High Net Worth Inc. and assistant managing editor at Crain’s InvestmentNews.
A business and lifestyle journalist for 12 years, Samantha is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University Law School. She enjoys running, cycling and music.
» left by Avis Ward(8,613) Avis Ward (53 days 18 hours ago.)
Samantha, excellent advice and I couldn't agree with you more. Because I abhor routine I will switch up pretty often. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Miss reading you. Respond to this comment
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