Are you in a "velvet rut"?

There's a saying that a rut is a grave with both ends kicked out.  The American tycoon J. Paul Getty once wrote, "It shouldn’t be very difficult for anyone to resist the temptation to force himself into the pattern of the structured man. One needs only to remember that a groove may be safe – but that, as one wears away at it, the groove becomes first a rut and finally a grave."

Building on a similar theme, I recently came across an older "Daily Stoic" blog post that described something called a "velvet rut".  The "velvet rut" describes the situation in which an individual feels stuck in a comfortable but unfulfilling routine.   It sounds fairly similar to the concept of "quiet quitting" in which individuals just "go through the motions" at work, lacking the motivation to do anything above and beyond the bare minimum necessary to get through their work day.  What separates the two, however, is the fact that individuals in a "velvet rut" are otherwise doing okay, they simply don't feel challenged or inspired in their work.  They are usually content with the work and may even be fairly successful at their job.

If you find yourself in a "velvet rut", perhaps it's time to start looking for what kind of job or work would challenge you, inspire you, or push you out of your comfort zone.  It can be scary to leave a job where you are comfortable, but I suspect that if stay in the "velvet rut" for too long, you may find yourself becoming a "quiet quitter".  Step "into the arena" and be ready to "get your ass kicked".  For as Hunter S. Thompson asked, "Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on the shore and merely existed."  Lastly, remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's admonishment that "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”