Years ago I ran into this old Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. Well, to a twenty-something Navy Hospital Corpsman he was old. His name was "Bubba" Logsdon. Anyone familiar with the Navy rank structure knows that you do not become a Master Chief Petty Officer without being a little achievement oriented. Twenty five years later his words still ring in my ears.

Not one bit shy when it came to encouraging those around him, he frequently was heard saying "If you are not moving forward, you are in a rut." If you look it up in the dictionary one of the definitions you find is a "fixed, usually boring, routine." But "Bubba" did not stop there. His next sentence, or question I guess, brought perspective: "Know what a rut is? It is a grave with the ends cut out!"

I don't know if that was original. Probably not, as most sayings, especially with military folks, seem to get tossed around for years with some modification along the way to fit whatever the circumstances are at the time.

Back to my topic. A couple of days ago I read something that asked an important question. To paraphrase, it asked why we are content to maintain a lifestyle when we could thrive instead? That is a question many of us should ask ourselves. Are we just getting by? Or, are we being held back by our current situation, our current thinking, our current methods? Sometimes it just makes sense to step back for a moment and consider what is really going on in our world.

There is the old saying that you made your bed so now you must lie in it. I guess the moral of the saying is that you created the situation, now you have to deal with the consequences of your action. True, there are some things that can't be changed. In those circumstances one must analyze the situation and plan the appropriate response. However, most things in our lives do not fall into such a rigid structure. Change for the sake of change is not necessarily good. However, well-reasoned change with a clearly defined end result is almost always better than wallowing in the mire of a bad situation.

So, what's a person to do? Take a look at where you are. Take a look at what has gotten you to your current place in life. What has worked? Some things have worked, maybe not as well as hoped. What has not worked at all? Doing what you have always done will only get you the same results. Will those things that are working, work as well or better, in a different environment? Quite possibly. A word of caution -patience is required when making changes. Making changes, regardless of how simple, take time to produce results. Quite possibly the most important change that needs to be made is your mindset. After all, whatever we do, or fail to do, was first created inside our head. Where the head (mind) leads, the body will certainly follow.

So, if you find yourself in a rut, do something. It may be as simple as a change to marketing yourself. It may simply be getting a better grip of your Internet presence. It may mean you must get out of the "fixed, usually boring, routine." It may be as simple as changing your image and how you project yourself to others. For me, I changed brokers. Still Century 21 but a change. Regardless, get out of that rut! Don't let the past interfere with the future!

Experienced Florida licensed real estate agent with Century 21 The Turner Group in Rockledge Florida. Former U.S. Navy officer and healthcare administrator. Received BS in Health Sciences from The George Washington University, Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Troy University.