kick-butt

 

If you’re like the millions of Americans who constantly bemoan the daily grind, it’s time that you step up, take control, and kick routine in the @$$. Routine is the personified devil incarnate. With a world filled with people who subscribe to “homogenous reproduction weekly,” it’s no wonder why so many suffer boring lives unnecessarily. We eat out at the same places, hang with the same people, and spend our days imprisoned within the same routine. One uneventful day passes by after another. One of the biggest thieves of our time and money is created by this perpetual pendulum—monotony. Or as I like to call it—the life killer.

 

We have to dare to explore—to shake things up. Do something different. Introduce change into the equation. Take the cooking class you’ve always wanted to take, or go to the shooting range and be Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry for a couple hours. Life is fleeting and we’re all going to die one day, so let’s live like it. It isn’t to depress you but to keep you face to face with the reality that life is a precious gift with an unknown return date. If we are to truly live our greatest life, we must take chances, embrace the unknown, and charge forward courageously. Here are 5 steps you can follow to give routine a swift kick out of your life.

 

1. Fearless. It’s scary. Maybe even a bit frightening. For our purposes, frightening is good. Doing that which you have never done may be panic inducing. If so, good. Routines need to be shaken up. The best way to do this is to be fearless. I know it’s easier said than done, but it has to start here. If you allow fear to keep you imprisoned in your comfort zone, there’s really no way for me to articulate just how much living you have and will continue to miss out on. Over come this fear and take a chance.

 

2. Deviate. Simple enough, right? Change pace. Here’s an example: If you are accustomed to driving a certain route home every day from work, change it. Find an alternate route. Why? The slightest deviation from the norm could spark something—anything. A small deviation from routine may not trigger a life altering catharsis, but it may in fact serve as the catalyst to a newer, more renewed perspective. It may provide a sense of clarity that had eluded you before. I like to think of deviation from routine like a small ripple in a still pond. The smallest movement, can create residual benefits.

 

3. Explore. You’ve wanted to go mountain biking for 10 years. What’s stopping you? You’ve been meaning to learn a second language for years, but can’t seem to find the time. If not now, when? If you wait for everything in your life to “align” BEFORE you begin to explore, you’ll be weeping in misery on your deathbed before you know it. If you have a desire, an inquisition, intrigue… You owe it to yourself to explore it. You never know where it’ll lead.

 

4. Choose. Everything boils down to choice. We choose to go to work. We choose which pair of socks to put on. We have choices in every single facet of our lives. Kicking routine where the sun doesn’t shine is a choice. If you’re fed up with a possible bland, unfulfilling existence, choose to live better. Choose to be better.

 

5. Allow. You may find it surprising to discover the virtually millions of people who struggle with allowing themselves to live. There’s always a deadline, situation, or circumstance which prohibits them from stepping out of routine and doing something they’d truly enjoy for once. If this is you, understand you have to allow yourself to be human. Human beings thrive when there’s balance. Monotony proliferates when we’re unable to strike an effective balance between responsibility and spontaneity. Living by routine may be necessary in a broad sense, but I implore you to “allow” yourself the opportunity to live. Occasionally, routine need not apply.

 

 

Andre Georgé is a lifestyle writer and brand strategist. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TheAndreGeorge