Your Mental Rut
The Spin Cycle of the Soul
Do you know that feeling of being stuck in neutral in life? It doesn’t feel like collapse. It doesn’t feel like progress either. It feels like…spinning. You go to work, come home, go through the motions, maybe even keep up appearances. But deep down you know you’re stuck. Not failing, but not moving. Just circling.
We tell ourselves, If I wait long enough, clarity will show up. But waiting without action doesn’t break ruts—it deepens them.
When the Fog Thickens
Uncertainty is part of being human. The problem isn’t that you feel uncertain—the problem is when you decide to camp out in the fog.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” — James 1:5
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” — Isaiah 30:21
God doesn’t abandon you in the rut. He speaks into it. But if you’ve stopped listening, you’ll keep looping the same doubts and fears.
Burr and the Danger of Waiting
Aaron Burr, the political rival of Alexander Hamilton, is remembered for one thing: waiting. In the musical Hamilton, his signature song “Wait for It” captures his life philosophy. Burr wanted to be all things to all people—never fully committing, never risking, never choosing sides. He thought staying in the background would protect him. But it didn’t. His constant waiting became a rut so deep that jealousy finally consumed him. Instead of stepping into his own identity, his rage pushed him to challenge Hamiton to a duel because the world didn’t feel big enough for the both of them. In the end, Burr fired the shot that made him infamous.
That’s what ruts do if you live in them too long. They turn hesitation into bitterness. They transform passive indecision into destructive action. Burr’s life is a cautionary tale: you can wait so long that you miss your purpose—and wound others in the process.
Seeing the Signal Beneath the Stuckness
Here’s the reframe: a rut isn’t punishment. It’s a signal. It means something in your life needs to shift—your pace, your priorities, your trust. It’s God’s way of saying, Don’t settle here.
The discomfort of a rut can be the very thing that wakes you up to what matters most. What feels like a stall could actually be the start of redirection. But not if you sit back in silence, telling yourself you’ll “wait for it.”
Breaking the Pattern
So what now? Start by naming it. Write down exactly where you feel stuck. Speak it to God in prayer, out loud. That honesty cracks the illusion that “I’m fine.” Then change one rhythm. Get up earlier. Put your phone down at dinner. Call a friend instead of scrolling. The rut breaks when you disrupt the pattern.
And don’t stop there. Reach out to one person you trust. Tell them how long you’ve felt stuck. Invite them to check in on you. When you bring the rut into the light, its grip loosens.
Where Fog Lifts and Momentum Builds
No one escapes ruts alone. You need a place where honesty and accountability meet. That’s why Crucible exists: men’s retreats, women’s retreats, and coaching where you can finally say, “I’m stuck,” and find both challenge and support. In community, fog lifts. Momentum builds. Purpose returns.
Don’t Wait for It—Walk Into It
Aaron Burr spent his life waiting for clarity that never came. His rut turned into resentment, and resentment drove him to ruin. Don’t let that be your story. You don’t have to “wait for it.” God is already whispering, This is the way—walk in it. The rut is real, but it’s not permanent. The fog is thick, but the path is there. The only question is whether you’ll keep waiting—or start walking.
Want to hear more?
Check out this podcast episode with Garrett who shares how Crucible helped him shift from a "life of quiet desperation" to finally "singing his song."