by Emily Murray DTM District Director
“The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth and how long you plan to stay in it” was written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Ellen Glasgow in her 1942 book The Sheltered Life.
OOOO…this saying makes me angry! Because it’s right. And because ruts are easy so it’s what we naturally want to do.
In this chaotic, overwhelming life we lead, ruts are so easy. They are the patterns and habits we develop so we don’t have to think about every single thing that we do. Driving home from work? Unless you have a special errand, you most likely take the same route every time. How many times have you gotten home and not really remembered how you got there? You don’t really remember what you saw, what happened, or what might have been different on this trip because you were on autopilot.
For most of us, that repetition is a sign that we have become comfortable to the experiences, sights, sounds, and sensations around us. We’ve gotten lost in habit, and so we no longer take time to get lost in the awe of life and the world around us.
When things become mundane and routine and same, same, same…are we really living life? Are we taking full advantage of what’s out there? Or is our rut taking us deeper along that path?
When routine and ruts take over our lives, which they often do, it’s easy to just let that happen. But when we allow that to happen, what are we missing out on?
What happens if we shake things up a bit? What if we took a different route home? Perhaps we get stuck in worse traffic. Sure, that might happen. Change isn’t always good. But perhaps we discover a new park to take a walk in, see a new restaurant that we become curious to try, discover a nicer drive. It may be longer, but it also may be greener with less traffic and less stress.
Believe it or not, this applies to most of what we do, not just driving. We get into habits at work and stay in jobs longer than we should because they become familiar. But are they challenging opportunities for growth? Are we excelling or are we coasting?
What about here in Toastmasters? Are we just attending our meetings and taking roles and ticking the boxes, or are we really using the opportunities presented to challenge ourselves? This is a self-paced program. We have no reason to not take time and really delve into our projects, speeches, and roles and take full ownership of them and to use each one, each time, as an opportunity to push our skills further.
We all joined Toastmasters to grow in some way. Are we holding ourselves accountable for continued growth, or have we let ourselves slide into comfortable ruts? There are innumerable opportunities to grow in Toastmasters, and plenty of people who want to help you develop skills, refine strengths, and grow and push into new directions and abilities.
I challenge you, as we near the end of this Toastmasters year, to take full control of your journey. Intentionally climb out of that rut and try new and different things. Be in control of your journey instead of letting the journey control you. I promise, the reward and experiences will be worth it!
