In the world of fitness, a plateau is considered a point at which you no longer see results in your exercise efforts. It means that no matter how good the old routine was for you, no matter how much weight you lost, no matter how much muscle you built, that routine is just not going to work for you anymore. And, as much as most of us dislike it, reaching plateaus means it’s time for a change. We also reach plateaus in life. We move along from day to day in our same routines content and happy with our jobs, families and relationships. But then, one day we wake up with this small feeling of discontent. It’s nothing we can put our finger on, it’s just a feeling of “not right”. We brush it off to a bad day. But then we wake up the next morning to the same routine with the same nagging feeling, only a little stronger. And the next morning, we awaken to more of the same, until one day we realize we are totally miserable and we are making everyone around us miserable. Welcome to a life plateau.

We have been doing the same thing for so long, it has worked and been effective; then, one day something changes and that same routine doesn’t work anymore. Guess what? Just like in your exercise routine, it is time for a change. Changes don’t have to be drastic, they can be something as subtle as changing the flavor of coffee that we drink. The changes should be whatever brings a smile to your face and makes you look forward to the day. Here’s my disclaimer: I’m not advocating that families be disrupted or relationships severed. You will have to decide what change is right for you. I would suggest that you start slowly with small things. You will know if that’s all it takes. Sometimes it can be as subtle as a new hairstyle or as not-so-subtle as a new career. A word of caution though, just as it is in fitness it is in life, there will be other plateaus and the need to make more changes. But changes are what life is all about. Hopefully we grow with them!