15 Ways Successful People Got Out of Their Career Rut

Everyone gets stuck in a rut at some point in their lives, right? The hardest one to get out of is the hole you've been running from and digging deeper and deeper at the same time. Your career. Some people pursue money and find themselves financially comfortable, but bored out of their minds. Some people follow their passion and quickly realize that sometimes food on the table beats freedom of expression. And there are folks out there in middle management coasting by with an okay salary and an okay job, but not an okay headspace. Your favorite entrepreneurs have been in the same position as you. The most successful people have had to get out of multiple ruts in their life. And now they're all experts. So let's see what they have to say about it. Here are 15 ways successful people have gotten out of their career rut. 1. They get out of their own way You know what most people do when they're in a career rut? They force themselves to work harder. They think that if they can just get over this little speed bump, that road will be clear and smooth. But it's not gonna get clear after that, because the road isn't the problem. You are. Forcing yourself to work harder only makes the problem worse. So get out of your own damn way, alright?! When you let your logical thinking brain step aside and just follow the chaotic version of yourself, you get a spark of inspiration. That's what happened to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. He was a general manager at a kitchenware company and was bored out of his mind. So he got out of his own way and went all the way to Italy and came back with some good coffee and a great idea. 2. They've made enough big mistakes Now a few big mistakes will scare you into getting your act together. And your act will go one of two ways. You might realize you actually love your job and you don't want to lose it. Or you'll realize you actually hate what you're doing so much, you don't even care about the mistake you made in the first place. You're not in this rut just because you don't feel like you're good enough. You're also there because you're not bad enough to give yourself a wake-up call. This is the time to take risks, okay? To go out on a limb, hope it pays off and if it doesn't, well you ran a pretty meta experiment with yourself. 3. They find the unexpected weight holding them back You don't just feel stuck and uninspired because you don't like your job or the money sucks. There's also something else isn't there, some weight that's holding you back without you even realizing it. Studies show that people are more likely to leave their job because they hate their colleagues than they are because of the money or the type of work. And it shows that people are willing to stay in places with a good company culture even if it means sacrificing a few dollars. And other research shows that the commute, personal relationship problems and friction with their managers are the main issues that people have when they think about their career. And on top of that, a partner who is supportive and encouraging, well that will bring you down just as much as a shitty paycheck at the end of the month. Find the unexpected weight holding you back and that realization alone will lift a lot of that weight off your shoulders. 4. They recognize that more money does help, but only up to a point If you need a quick remedy to feeling bored and frustrated with your job, ask for a raise. It's not a foolproof solution, but it buys you enough happy time, which will then give you the energy to find out what exactly your problem is or to look for new work. They might not give you the raise, and then you definitely have your answer about which direction you should go into. If they do give you a raise, then you've bought yourself a little more motivation. Now you just have to keep that momentum going. 5. They know where it all began It's a scary moment when you first wonder if you're in the totally wrong industry. If you've spent years studying or working to get to where you are now, and the lights here don't really shine as bright as you thought they would, well it kind of feels like a massive waste of time, doesn't it? It also feels like you just don't know yourself at all. So the first question you have to ask yourself is when it all began. When did these feelings start? Did it start with this job? At university? Many years ago? Knowing when you started to feel this way, will help you see if it's an identity issue or a situational issue. You have to know the enemy to be able to fight it, so ask the right questions. 6. They've tested out horizontal shifts Not everything has to go up and up and up all the time. This idea that you're only progressing if you're moving one way is crazy, alright? You can take the skills you've learned in your current career and put it to great use doing something different, but more you. Oprah was fired and demoted from her first few broadcast jobs because studio heads considered her style of presenting too emotional. If she'd toned down the emotion she could've moved up pretty quickly, but she was doing well in every other area, so instead she shifted her interest to match her skills. Instead of primetime hard-hitting news, she showed that you can be an empathetic human and a cutthroat moneymaker all in one fell swoop. 7. They don't fear or avoid rejection And we're not talking about romantic rejection here, that's a whole different kettle of fish. This is about getting rejected at job interviews, having your ideas thrown out, even people rolling their eyes at your suggestions. You need to search for these reactions because they're gonna fuel you. You're bored and uninspired because you're playing it safe and avoiding rejection. So put yourself in those awkward situations, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and you'll see that you'll be so focused on the madness of this mission, you'll start getting those sparks of inspiration again. The multi-millionaire designer Vera Wang wanted to be a figure skater, but she didn't make it. Then she applied to be editor-in-chief at Vogue and she didn't get that either. Guess where she is now though? Yeah, a famous designer. So find rejection Aluxer, don't fear it. 8. They know embarrassment is the cost of entry How often have you held back with something not because you were worried about failing, but because you were embarrassed about starting? Well look, it's embarrassing starting a podcast and trying to explain it to your whole family. It's embarrassing opening up your own coffee shop and standing there in the window staring at people walking past, kinda begging them with your eyes to come in. And it can be pretty embarrassing to advertise your side hustle on your Instagram page for all your friends to see. Putting yourself out there and saying, But the quicker you realize it doesn't matter at all and you get over it, the easier it will be to move out of that rut and go for what you really want. 9. They test their limits before making a drastic change We've seen people throw themselves into a big change without realizing that they can't actually handle everything that comes with it. And that adds even more stress. And you know what often happens in those situations? People get scared when it doesn't work out immediately and they run straight back to where they started. So test the waters first. Be honest about whether you have the mental and emotional capacity to tackle this rut head on. Not everything has to affect everything else you do. We've kind of demonized compartmentalizing things, but it's actually a really useful tool. So learn to, at least sometimes, put things into different mental boxes so they don't affect the rest of your life and then use that extra energy to build momentum. You're not ignoring what's going on, you're conserving energy for when you're ready to go full force with it. 10. They pay attention to what they consume Remember when Elon Musk co-founded PayPal? It's like something in his distant past now compared to what he's done recently, but PayPal was pretty freaking revolutionary when it came out. Anyone would be happy with creating a product like that, but not Musk. He was bored by the finance aspect of the work. He loved rocket science and coding, not checks and balances. Before launching Tesla and SpaceX, he devoured books on coding, AI and rocket science. These were topics he was genuinely interested in. The further away your interests are from your work, the more unhappy you'll be. The middle ground is already out there, you just have to cross it. And we will happily help you do that alright. With the ALUX app we deliver to you daily coaching sessions across what we call the 5 pillars of a good life. Finance, intellect, your relationships, your emotional wellness and your physical health. We also have curated content collections from industry experts to help you level up in some specific areas of your life. It's not cheap because we've poured millions of dollars into making this the most profound resource and tool you could ever use. And if you'd like to test drive the app for free, go to alux.com and download for the 7-day free trial. And if you're committed, scan this QR code on screen for 25% off your yearly membership. We'll see you on the inside. Number 11. They upskill, demand and search You can think about why you feel stuck and unhappy while you're doing other things with your life. Don't get stuck on the merry-go-round in your head. Take on some totally different courses and projects. Ask your employers if you can do something totally different for a week. They'll probably say no and that's ok because rejection breaks that I don't even care barrier. But maybe they'll say yes. And then you've won this round. So search, look at other places, take your new skills and demands to them too. Number 12. They know how crucial breaks are Taking some time off work can help if you're feeling tired or frustrated. But when you're actually stuck in that rut, taking a break isn't gonna get you out of there completely. Remember, you're the one who's going through this. Everything else is functioning like normal, barring 1 or 2 slight changes. So taking a break isn't gonna stop you from feeling that way. And if you think that it is, you're gonna be very disappointed when you come back and you feel the same way you did before. But that doesn't mean that time off doesn't serve a purpose though. It gives you enough energy to dive deeper into what's causing you to feel this way. It gives you the time to take some actual steps toward the next phase of your job or life. And it gives you time to start taking action. That's the only way you'll get to the next step. Which brings us to number 13. They know that inspiration follows action People think that first you get inspired, then you use that inspiration to take action. But no, that is way too fleeting. That spark is gone by the time you get to step 2. You're not gonna feel inspired and then find answers by sitting on your ass. You need to get up and DO SOMETHING. DO ANYTHING. Don't see this as you taking action to solve a problem, see it as you getting out there and living your life. Inspiration and that zest for life will follow you, but only when you're moving along. Number 14. They recognize mental work is just a small piece of the puzzle Our therapy-rich world, for all its benefits, has made us think that reflecting and analyzing ourselves is what creates momentum. But it doesn't. It's a small part of the puzzle. You HAVE to combine the mental work with real-world steps that you can actually see. That's how you move things along. Only doing the mental work is like sitting in a car, knowing exactly how to drive it and then hoping that if you focus hard enough with your mind you can get it to move. You have to turn the key in that ignition. That's what's gonna get you out of this rut. All of the reflections and journal entries in the world are not gonna help you if you don't combine that with just getting a move on with all of the traveling and action-packed work and the mental effort to get out of this rut you're in. It can feel pretty lonely out there, which is why people who've done this before know Number 15. That every successful person has been there before too There's not a successful person in the world who's never felt stuck at some point. Feeling stuck is kinda good because it actually means that you know and expect better from yourself. You know you've got more potential than what you're showing right now, so instead of seeing it as an annoying dead-end place, see it as a chance for a new chapter. Maybe a sign that you should start reading more books on rocket science. All the richest, most successful people have been there before too. So you're in good company my friend. Follow their footsteps on how they got out of their rut and who knows where you'll end up. That's all we've got for you today my friend. It's been great having you with us. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Until then, take care.