Connect with us

Success Advice

The 3 Things YOU Need To Escape Your Rut

Published

on

escape your rut
Joel Brown

Most, if not all of my coaching clients and quite frankly anyone that I speak with can testify to being in or ‘near’ a rut of some kind. Be it their health and fitness, their relationships, their career; whatever it is, they are in one. The chances are so are YOU, but what is a rut?

A rut is where you are gaining little or no success, fulfilment or happiness from doing the SAME THINGS every single day! If it is your weight/body then you can’t get out of the ‘pattern’ of eating junk food, being lazy and not exercising. If it is in your relationships then you can’t get out of the ‘pattern’ of taking your loved ones for granted, communicating poorly and initiating no ‘spark’. If it is your career you likely feel ‘stuck’ in the rat race and you feel that you are going to a job that you don’t like every day just to ‘get by’.

And so it continues….

Stuck In A Rut

 

The Negative Life Cycle

It seems then that a rut can be defined as a ‘Negative Life Cycle’. The negativity just breeds more negativity and you can be left feeling like there is no escape. The real kick in the teeth is that ruts start to create new ruts and they create an increasingly steep negative spiral towards despair. For example, you feel down about being stuck in the rat race so you come in from work every day in a negative mood, carrying a whole lot of negative energy with you. This leads you to take it out on your spouse so they begin to feel rejected and react in the form of arguing. This arguing leads you to become even more down so you lose any life spirit and motivation to do anything so you stop exercising and start ‘comfort eating’.

All of a sudden you are left depressed at work, overweight and unhealthy with a marriage on the rocks. Sound familiar?

 

Why can’t you Escape?

Negative Life Cycle

To really change something it is important to understand it. Let’s go back to the beginning of the above scenario; I believe that there are 3 things happening and these are the ‘spokes’ on the wheel of the negative life cycle. Firstly, how you use and treat your body, bad days at work are causing you to move in a depressed way, which is leading you to make unhelpful pictures in your mind (e.g growing towards retirement age in a job you hate) and finally in this negative state of mind you are no place to do something about it. So then your spouse picks up this negative body language which leads them to question you, which leads to you making negative pictures in your mind (e.g them ‘controlling’ you), which leads to you removing yourself from the situation and not doing something about it. Do you see where this is going?

It is easy to see that if this continues for any prolonged period of time you have a pretty exact formula for being unhappy and unsuccessful.

The 3 parts of the Negative Life Cycle become ingrained. You become overweight (sometimes severely so), you are always making bad use of the words and pictures in your mind (you hate people, the world and everything in it) and you are now in the habit of inaction because you believe that it is just the way you are and you can’t change now anyway.

 

Escape Your Rut with the PMA SystemTM

The PMA System

In this Universe of ours, everything always has an opposite: Up and down, Left & Right, Hot & Cold. One simply could not exist without the other. It was upon my enlightenment to this phenomenon that I sensed that there must be people out there that are just as fulfilled, happy and successful as their rut dwelling counterparts are miserable, lost and unsuccessful. That led me to believe that they were doing exactly the opposite of people who are in a rut.

Hey Presto! I started changing people’s lives by really delving into how they treated and used their bodies, what pictures/self-talk they made in their minds and what action they took and so “The PMA SyestemTM” was born.

 

Do It Now!

If you are stuck in a rut in any area of your life, implement The PMA SystemTM NOW! Yes right now, not in 20 minutes not in 2 days, not in 3 weeks; you can get started RIGHT NOW. Let’s use your body/health as an example. If you are not happy with it create a Goal that would make you feel so phenomenal that you start to feel it right now, your breathing changes, your shoulders rise and you start to smile as you start to  ‘see yourself’ as amazing as you know you can be (here is the Miracle Mindset kicking in already). Continue to hold on to that vision of yourself and what you will look and feel like. Feel grateful as if that is the body that you have already! Now it’s time for ACTION, and not just a little bit of action ABUNDANT ACTION!

Join a gym, plan your new healthy eating regimen, buy a workout DVD, go for a walk, and set your alarm for an hour earlier tomorrow morning. It is easy to see how you can rapidly set the wheels in motion so you are living in a positive way where good things keep happening. There are many applications for the PMA system, both in a second by second environment and also in the formation and realisation of longer term goals.

Jermaine Harris is a Coach, Trader, Author and Speaker. He is passionate about human potential and empowering others to change their lives in the same way he did. Jermaine believes that the opposite of being 'stuck in a rut' is possible and explains how in his book, The Rut Buster. Get to know Jermaine better at: jermaine-harris.com

Advertisement
4 Comments

4 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

Published

on

Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

Published

on

leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

Continue Reading

Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

Published

on

Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

Continue Reading

Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

Published

on

entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

Continue Reading

Trending