Life goes through cycles. Sometimes it’s exciting and sometimes it’s mundane.

However, if most of us aren’t careful we’ll end up in a life that feels too much like Groundhog Day where every single day feels like the same.

This is a problem I constantly find myself in, even though I own my own business and control my own schedule.

It’s easy to get comfortable. To stay within the walls of what you know. To stop reaching out. But a quality life is outside of that realm.

Yes, there’s something to be said for that inner happiness and peace that comes with being content with your life (another article for another day), but excitement is what gets us jumping out of bed in the morning.

If you find yourself in a position where you hate getting out of bed in the morning, or everything just feels tedious, you’re probably stuck in a rut. (Also – I’m not talking about dealing with depression, that’s a whole different beast.)

This is purely about shaking things up and bringing your spark back.

See, this is something I had a huge awakening to last year.

Since I started my business in 2012, I got stuck in workaholic mode. My weekends and days were dedicated to sitting at my computer and doing everything I could to bring in work. This went on for years and lead to bad habits that I should have started to break years ago.

Then, last year, I started dating someone fun who got me out of this rut. We’d explore the city, watch movies, laugh, and I wouldn’t work for a whole weekend at a time.

You’d think that my work would have suffered due to cutting down my working hours, but the opposite was actually true. I actually ended up making more money.

While that relationship didn’t last, the lasting impact of getting outside of my daily rut did. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day life that we simply forget to step back and analyze if all this work is getting us closer or farther from the things we actually want. That brings me to my first point.

Get in touch with what you want

You probably have put off the things you want for far too long now. Sometimes we can be so focused on the daily grind and to-do’s that we forget the long-term view of our lives.

If you’ve been wanting to write a screenplay, but you haven’t written a page in a year, it’s time for you to decide if you truly want it or if you don’t.

Another thing to note: It’s okay to let go of goals.

I wanted to be a professional snowboarder as a teenager and it took me far too long to admit to myself that I was over that goal and it was something I no longer wanted.

Take the time to list out what you actually want out of your life. What do you want for the next 10 years to look like? Get detailed.

Until you know where you want to go, you’ll have no idea how to mix it up.

Imagine life without taking action

It’s easy to sit here and say, “Oh, it’s easy, just start!”

I hate the “just start!” advice. It’s shallow. Yes, it’s that simple but it’s not that easy.

So instead I want you to actually visualize what it would be like if you don’t take action on these things you want. Imagine being older, being sick, nearing the end of your life without having pursued the things you want.

Note: I said pursued. Achievements are hard and sometimes wildly subjective, but it’s the pursuit of goals that give us fulfillment.

If you ask anyone who is older than you, it’s always the things they didn’t do that hurts the most. Rarely do they regret trying new things, even if they were bad at them.

Find a reason

To propel yourself to take action and get out of your head, you’ll have to find a reason to start.

Maybe this means paying for classes (paying for something is a big motivator). Maybe you start a blog to track your progress. Do whatever it takes to start now, not later.

Switch up your daily routine

Call into work sick if you have to, but for one day this week you need to do something you don’t regularly do. If you have kids, get a babysitter. If you have appointments, move them.

I can’t emphasize how important it is to get outside of your regular environment. If you cancel everything and just stay home, you’ll end up internet surfing or playing video games all day which is the opposite of what you need.

If you want to take it to the next level, go on a weekend trip away. However, that’s not possible for everyone. You need to remember life outside of your daily bubble. Life before all your damn productivity systems yelling at you every day.

You don’t even need to spend money on this day. You could go walk around a local park or simply work at your local library. Whatever it takes to just shake up your inner robot.

Try something new outside of what you think you like

If you don’t think you’re athletic, follow a YouTube video of a beginner yoga session.

If you don’t like spicy foods, try just one food that is slightly spicy.

The problem with life and social media is that we stick ourselves in these boxes, and then other people expect us to stay in these boxes. We put pressure on ourselves and so do the people around us to stay the same. You haven’t tasted enough things to know what you like and what you don’t like.

You’re bored because you’re bored with the current version of yourself and your life. You want different things but are worried the people around you won’t like it.

You have no idea what could eventually become a passion or side hobby until you taste it and know. Don’t let people hold you back from these possibilities.

Doing things that scare you (even a little bit) is the best way to feel alive. That doesn’t mean you have to go skydiving (although it can), it just means doing things outside of what we view as possible in our own lives.

Start cutting

If you seriously want to change your life, you need to start cutting out the things that don’t add to it.

I don’t believe in cutting out things that actually bring you joy (someone will remove watching horror movies out of my weekly list over my cold, dead body), but you need to know what those things are.

If you’re watching sports just because you always did in the past but you’re finding that it doesn’t actually bring you a renewed sense of focus, then it’s time for it to go.

You’d be surprised at how many things are on your list that you do every day simply out of routine or expectations from other people. You’ll have to start saying no so you can fit in what matters.

Start cutting so you can start adding what matters most.

It’s only your life on the line.