Self-Improvement-Inspiration: How to Exit Your Own Rat Race

We can all get in a rut from time to time. Who hasn't had a moment in their lives where you've asked yourself the question: "Why am I doing this?"

Whether it's who you've become, the Business you are in, your career, relationships, where you live or all of the above - sometimes you realise you're just not where you want to be - and you're not sure how you got there! It sure feels like your own version of a rat race though.

If where you want to be in your life is not where you are, then maybe it's time for you to drop out of your very own rat race. We are conditioned into believing that we must continue to strive, to take more on, and to do more, in order to be "successful". But this is a limited and ultimately self-defeating definition. If we can only be more successful by what and how much we do, then we have created our own treadmills to run on.

1. Redefine Success

Redefining success for yourself can be the first step in taking a fresh perspective. Try this exercise by completing the following sentence. " I know I am successful when??." You man not complete the sentence with anything to do with work or material goods. Here are some examples. I know I am successful when?

?I laugh every day with my children

?I bounce out of bed enthusiastically every morning

?all of my relationships give me great joy

?I inspire others to make positive changes

By redefining what we believe makes us successful, we begin to strive for different things in our lives. This can be instrumental in slowing down the treadmill enough for us to take stock of where we are.

2. Springclean your mind

If you feel as though you don't have time for anything - especially thinking about ways to do things differently - it's time for a time-out.

When we are busy and occupied all the time, we are usually reacting to things going on around us, rather than acting out of choice. So make an active choice to take a rest, a vacation, talk it out with someone you trust, blow off steam, do whatever it takes to get some perspective about your situation.

Just this simple step will make you feel more in control, and can help to streamline the energy you'll need for the changes ahead. The idea is not to just get out of your rat race but to go towards a more fulfilling way of living

3. Get real

The reality is that you can't change anyone else's behaviour but your own. So it's a good time to stop wishing that people would act differently so that you could feel better. Also, it's time to make alternative plans just in case you don't win the lottery or get a salary increase.

This sounds harsh, but people who wait for things to happen to them are usually waiting a long time. Don't wait for chance or fate to step in. Figure out what it will cost (in time, energy, money, etc.) to make the changes you know you need to make. Then figure out what it will cost not to.

4. Pack light

There's something very cathartic about taking time to clean things out - getting rid of the old to make way for the new. You could start with a room in your house, your email address list, or old beliefs that aren't adding value to you any more.

In every situation there is a good lesson to take with you - something of value to keep. Even if it's only, 'Well that's a place I know I never want to be again'. There is always something worth keeping.

Any situation, and your perception of it, is part of who you are. Identify specifically what it is you want to keep and what you'll leave behind. Be brutal. You may even miss some of the things you choose to leave behind - that's all part of the process. What you will find is renewed energy for new things that you want to include in your life - a great start to exiting your rat race and beginning on a new journey.

5. Create a map

When was the last time you thought about where you wanted to be in 5 or 10 years time? We get so caught up in "doing" things - for the Business, for work, for others - things we think we should be doing, that we tak