All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail.”—Dorothea Brande

Attitude and energy go hand-in-hand.When you fear failure, you find yourself in a metaphorical pool of quicksand. Your body feels heavy, your spirit keeps sinking and the desire to surrender becomes almost irresistible.

But the reverse is also true. When you believe deep down inside that you can succeed, your energy level hits the full mark, making you feel like you are an unstoppable force.

The trick is to generate feelings of self-confidence. Start by making a list of past successes. No matter how small, they will create a positive image of yourself.

Then, choose one small task to complete that day that will signify achievement to you. Put it on the list, do it and then check it off.

It sounds silly but the fact that you have completed one chore (however minor) has a way of making you feel that you have accomplished something—that you have at least one success to your credit—which can boost your morale and give you the impetus to move forward.

“If you want to achieve the impossible, you can’t miss a day." Larry Winget

You know what you want to do.

You have a day-by-day, hour-by-hour strategy for putting the wheels in motion. All you need to do is turn the key.

And you will—later. Tomorrow. Next week.

Knowing what to do isn’t enough.

You need to actually do it—take action, move ahead, shift out of park and into drive.

Even just 10 minutes of forward movement is better than no movement at all.

“Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I'll show you someone who has never achieved much.” Joan Collins

“What if I fail?”

All too often that is the excuse we give for not trying something new.

We believe that failure is something to avoided at all costs, that if success isn’t guaranteed, we had better not even make the attempt.

Failure isn’t a negative event. It’s a learning experience.

When events don’t turn out the way you hoped, you need to figure out what went wrong and what changes you need to make to alter the outcome.

And then—you need to get back on the horse and try again!

“The beginning is always today.” Mary Wollstonecraft

Today, get a jump-start on your “change schedule” and do one thing that moves you out of your rut and closer to your goal.

Don’t put it off until tomorrow. Do it now!

The longer you delay, the more likely that you will give up or lose momentum.

Start small—spend just 10 minutes on one activity related to your goal.

Then tomorrow, do another 10 minutes.

In one week, you will have devoted more than an hour of your time (and life!) to reaching your objective.

The two kinds of ruts

To successfully get out of a rut, you need to first figure out what kind of a rut you are in.

• An Overload Rut means you have too much on your plate. You are on the go (physically and mentally) 24/7. And no matter how much you have to do, you always agree to take on one more task.

• A Comfort Rut is all about keeping things the same. Nothing changes—not your appearance, your attitudes or your relationships. And you will go to great lengths to keep it that way.

Once you know what type of rut you’re in, try the following strategies to climb out:

Overload Rut: Do one thing just for you in the next 7 days. It can be as simple as taking a daily 10-minute walk or having lunch with a friend. Say “yes” to your needs—which might require saying “no” to someone else’s wants! This isn’t selfish—it’s self-care.

Comfort Rut: Make one small shift in your life this week. For example, if you spend most of your day working with your mind, choose an activity that will allow you to work with your hands. Or if your days are spent dealing with people, then set aside some time to be alone—no people, no distractions (think television, radio, Blackberry). Do something different, not more-of-the-same.

(Need some ideas? E-mail me for my “Rut-Busting” tip list!)