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"Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive." ~~ Edith Wharton Just back from a coast side working retreat. My favorite moment of the entire trip was when a pod of 27 pelicans (yes, I counted) flew overhead in an ever- changing formation. I've never seen such a large group before. Within one hour other pods of 10 and 25 pelicans flew by. In all the years I've been to this area, I've never seen so many pelicans! Thanks to my husband who had his camera and was quick enough to capture the moment. At least once a year I like to get away from the office and spend time in a location where I can connect with nature's rhythms. Detaching from my usual routine gives me time to think--about my life, my business, and the planet. It's always interesting to see what new ideas come to the surface on topics I've been wrestling with for months. You'll be seeing results of my brainstorming throughout 2011. In this week's newsletter I share several ways you can spark a new perspective, even if you can't get away right now. All the best, Getting two copies of our newsletter? Scroll to the bottom for instructions on how to modify your subscription. Tip of the Week:5 Time-Tested Strategies to Break Out of Your Rut Read this article online. Ever get the feeling that your approach to your own career has gotten a bit stale? The questions you ask yourself (What do I want to do? What's my next career move?) deliver the same answers, over and over again. No matter what you do, you keep ending up with the same answers that aren't getting you where you want to go. It's so frustrating! I know, I've been there myself. Many times. When I made my first big career transition and periodically over the last 20 years as it was time for my business to shift and morph in response to the times. In the early days getting out of a thought rut took a lot of effort. Now that I've had a lot of practice with this I know what I need to do to shift my perspective to create new options and ideas. Knowing how to get beyond your rut is essential to any career shift. Hopefully these ideas will give you new insights about how to break out of your career rut! Ask New Questions One of the key reasons we all get stuck is that we get into a rut with the questions we ask ourselves. After a while each question seems to lead to the same answer. There's no new juice to give us a new insight, a new thought, or a new outlook on our situation. To break out of your rut, begin by framing new questions. Sometimes just a subtle rewording of your question can lead you to new answers. *.Why don't I work on my resume? ==> What could I do to make progress on my resume? *.What job should I go after? ==> What kind of work would be most fulfilling to me?Brainstorm Multiple Options When you are frustrated with your situation, it's easy to throw up your hands as soon as your inner dialogue has you covering the same territory you've traveled time and again. As soon as you do this, you shut down any chance of finding a new answer, a new solution. Next time you find yourself in this situation don't stop when your first answer comes to you. Keep brainstorming until you have a collection of answers. Keep pushing yourself until you get past the safe, realistic solutions (that obviously aren't the answer or you would have figured it out by now). Push yourself to come up with 10 or 15 ideas. Sometimes the most intriguing answers are hiding behind the conventional ones. Push past them to find out what really wants to happen next. List First...Evaluate Later Just write each and every idea down as it comes to you. Don't evaluate its merits at this point...just write down whatever comes to you. After you've gathered a list of possible options, take another look at every idea you've come up with. You may find additional ideas come to you as you compare and contrast the options on your list. Often the best solution is a combination of elements from several options. Get creative! Shift Your Focus from"Should"to"Want" If you are still stuck after doing this kind of brainstorming, you may have fallen into the trap of focusing on what you should do. (Check out last week's newsletterfor more on this topic.) To get out of your rut, turn the tables to focus on what you want. Try reframing your question from"What should I do in this situation?"to"What would I most like to do in this situation?" It's likely that this shift will create new movement in how you are approaching your situation. I had a client once who was balking at going back to work. She knew she needed to work. She was getting exposed to interesting opportunities, but nothing was holding her attention. When I asked her what she really wanted, she realized that what she wanted most was a part-time position that would give her the flexibility to heal from some transitions she'd recently experienced. She changed her approach to her job search and found a position that was a great match for her current needs. She ended up working at this job for several years before she was ready to find a job that matched her new needs. Get out of Dodge If at all possible, change your circumstances in some way. *.If you can, leave town. Putting yourself in a new environment or a new culture will stoke your creative fire. *.If you can't get out of town, go to a park for the day, house sit for a friend, or spend the night at a local B&B or hotel. *.If you can't get out of the house, you can still switch things up. Find a different place to think about your situation.If you normally ponder things in a certain area of your home, try going outside or another room. Take a moment to think about where you are drawn to go...then see how you can make some part of that vision possible. The key is to change your setting in ways that shake up how you are approaching your circumstances. Whenever you are faced with a question about your career or a career dilemma, use these tactics to break into new territory. Often just a 5% shift in your perception of your situation will open up new options that you can't see right now.