Get in a Rut

There is a book that I have been meaning to read that I saw reviewed in our local paper here in Nashville. I have not had a chance to read this book yet, and usually I don’t write about a book until I have read it. But, the concept behind this one caught my attention. The book’s title is RUT Management: Discovering Adventure in the Routine of Life. It was written my local writer Mark Cornelius. Here is the abstract from Amazon:

The Answer’s Been Right in Front of You the Whole Time! Most of us travel well-worn paths with the expressed mission of breaking out of the RUT. It seems to be the right thing to do on the surface; who wants to think of themselves as being in such a routine that they can not, should not, dare not veer off the trail? And You Thought “Escape” Was Your Only Option! Not another self-help book, RUT Management is a fun but truthful look at the very human tendency to pursue distraction rather than maintaining the focused pursuit of long-term goals and dreams. This work addresses the constant conflict between “convention” and “change” in our lives. It examines RUT development, RUT anatomy, RUT relationships, and RUT management as tools for navigating the path through RUTs, and for DISCOVERING ADVENTURE IN THE ROUTINE OF LIFE.

When I was a full-time entrepreneur, my life often seemed like constant chaos. One thing that stands out in my mind from this period was how precious certain routines in my life were to me.
The weekly trip to the riding stable with my daughter. My daughter and I sang or whistled the same silly songs every time we drove through the country on the way to her riding lesson. I stood at the same place along the same fence during every lesson, and marveled that such a little girl could control such a gigantic animal.
Going to church with my family. Our son was the one who made sure we went to church every week — even when we were on vacation. Whether we were in the mountains in North Carolina, or in the middle of Florida, come the weekend, he would always ask the question — Where are we going to go to church? I have to admit that it occasionally crossed my mind to skip church, especially on vacation, but I was always snapped back to the reality of the importance of this routine in our family life together.
Eating dinner at the table. This was the routine that my wife created for our family. We began every evening meal with a prayer — the same prayer every time. And then the conversation would always begin with the same question from me — What was fun today? The kids would then tell us about the little things and the big things that happened in their lives.
Friday pizza with my partners. Every Friday at lunch, my two partners and I closed the door to the conference room and shared pizza. The staff knew not to disturb us. Did we plot grand strategies for the future course of our business? Every once in a while we would. But mostly, we shared each others’ company, traded funny stories, and talked about our families. It was the one time each week that the three of us always would share the fellowship of a meal.
I could not agree more with the premise of this book — get in a rut!