#rustout

Rustout is the slow death that follows when we stop making the choices that keep life alive. It’s the feeling of numbness that comes from always taking the safe way, and never accepting new challenges, continually surrendering to the day-to-day routine. Rustout means we are no longer growing; at best, are simply maintaining - it implies that we have traded the sensation of life for the security of a paycheck. 

Rustout is the opposite of burnout. Burnout is overdoing. Rustout is underbeing.

Rustout occurs when our lives deteriorate through the disuse of our potential. And just as rust can eventually weaken and destroy the strongest of structures, so can rustout lead to the destruction of even the strongest and most secure human beings.

People who are experiencing rustout feel afraid to act. They're unwilling or unable to do the very things that would make them feel alive. They end up sitting on the sidelines, while the dance of life goes on without them.

Perhaps life has presented them with bigger challenges than they could solve. Perhaps a failure caused a major blow to their self-esteem, from which they couldn't seem to recover. Or maybe they just worked too hard for too long.

Rustout occurs when we feel we're not using our gifts and talents in support of something we believe in. In many cases, it's because we're afraid to let go of what we have, in order to reach for something more. But in the effort to hold on to what we've got, we lose a precious gift - the gift of purpose. Our life lacks purpose; nothing moves us. Our relationships lack commitment; no one touches us. Our work lacks promise; the routine has stifled our growth.

Choices or ruts. When we observe the level of satisfaction people have (or don't have) in their lives, we see the same thing over and over again - the people who are satisfied are those who have made a conscious decision to keep growing and to keep developing new options. Those who are dissatisfied feel stifled and trapped. More than anything else, people want to feel that life is offering them choices. It's discouraging for us to look forward and see nothing but an unending stretch of sameness over which we feel we have no control. 

Of course, not everything that's routine leads to a rut. Many routines are useful - they save energy. They only become ruts when fear inhibits us from making corrective choices. So, we need to examine our routines periodically to make sure we have chosen them carefully.

Grow or die.