Futurist Jim Carroll<p>"Guess what? If you didn't do anything today to get out of your rut, it just became deeper!" - Futurist Jim Carroll</p><p>The thing about ruts is that you'll never get out of them if you don't start now!</p><p>Here are 10 signs that you're in a rut:</p><p>- clinging to the idea that "we've always done it this way."<br>- suffering from aggressive indecision.<br>- always displaying relentless negativity and pessimism.<br>- exhibiting deep complacency.<br>- over-reliance on past success and old glories.<br>- a culture that is risk-averse, fearing failure.<br>- a lack of urgency and procrastination.<br>- you rely on committees or rigid processes.<br>- you listen only to familiar voices.<br>- you resist adapting to change or new ideas.</p><p>That's a good overview of rut-thinking.</p><p>Stuck there? Here are 10 ways to get out of it:<br>- commit to decisive action.<br>- cultivate optimism, focus on opportunities.<br>- break old habits, abandon routines.<br>- embrace risks, learn from failure.<br>- seek diverse ideas, challenge old thinking.<br>- prioritize continuous learning and skill reinvention.<br>- think big, embrace transformative ideas.<br>- build urgency and restore a sense of purpose.<br>- seek partners, collaborate effectively.<br>- manage culture to foster innovation</p><p>Does this get you thinking? It should.</p><p>Are you in a rut? Maybe!</p><p>So here's a thing for your Friday! For one week only, get 25% off any of my books via my Books By Jim Carroll site. You'll find it at books.by.jimcarroll.com. Use the code ESCAPETHERUT</p><p>Remember - all 3 new books work well together.</p><p>You'll find other ones like Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast, Ready, Set, Done, and The Future Belongs to Those Who Are Fast on the site as well.</p><p>I'll ship the book(s) to you as soon as I can!</p><p>---</p><p>Futurist Jim Carroll has done hundreds of corporate sessions around the theme of innovation, and knows that far too many people and far too many companies are stuck in an endless rut!</p><p>**<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Rut" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Rut</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Action" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Action</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Change" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Change</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Innovation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Innovation</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Growth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Growth</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Transformation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Transformation</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Decisiveness" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Decisiveness</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Optimism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Optimism</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Learning" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Learning</span></a>** **<a href="https://mastodon.futurist.info/tags/Progress" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Progress</span></a>**</p><p>Original post: <a href="https://jimcarroll.com/2025/08/decoding-tomorrow-daily-inspiration-guess-what-if-you-didnt-do-anything-today-to-get-out-of-your-rut-it-just-became-deeper/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">jimcarroll.com/2025/08/decodin</span><span class="invisible">g-tomorrow-daily-inspiration-guess-what-if-you-didnt-do-anything-today-to-get-out-of-your-rut-it-just-became-deeper/</span></a></p>