A few months back, I watched the movie “The Peaceful Warrior” based off the book by Dan Millman entitled The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Without giving much away, both are about a young successful gymnast and the lessons he learns from an older man named Socrates. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the movie. May you find them as inspiring as I do.

“There’s never nothing going on. There are no ordinary moments.”

“A warrior acts, only a fool reacts.”

“A warrior is not about perfection or victory or invulnerability. A warrior is about absolute vulnerability. That’s the only true courage.”

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Working Girl” which stars Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith. Also cast in the film is Joan Cusack, who is nicely situated in a supporting role as Tess McGill’s (read: Griffith’s character) rather colorful friend. Her Staten Island accent is worth the rental price alone!

Anyway, Cusack’s character delivers a great line which I often return to as it’s so perfect. She says, “Sometimes I sing and dance around the house in my underwear. Doesn’t make me Madonna. Never will.”

Whenever I watch her give that line I bust out laughing because I do the same thing! Okay, so I *don’t* dance around in my underwear, but I DO crank up my favorite songs and dance around in my bedroom when no one is home.

It’s so freeing. It makes me happy and I always feel charged in the process, as if my body is saying in an exasperated voice, “FINALLY!”

I don’t know about you, but not only does dancing serve as a stress reliever but it allows me to let go and give into my body’s own rhythm for a bit. It’s an art form, a source of expression and a well of creativiy. It snaps me out of a funky mood, beats running on some days, and inspires me.

I think the rest of the country is beginning to feel the same way, too, as the TV reality show “Dancing with the Stars” continually burns up the Nielsen Ratings whenever it’s on. People are starting to take dance lessons again, clubs are thriving and there seems to be a return to the art of dancing with a partner. ‘Tis all very exciting.

My point is that I would encourage you to dance around the next time you hear your favorite song and see how you feel. Does your mood improve? Do you feel happy? Is it hard to stop smiling?

If nothing else, you will have gotten in touch with your inner twinkletoes - never a bad encounter, methinks.

When it comes to your job, are you going through the motions? Does your career and life seem to be running on autopilot? Has the mundane and ho-hum replaced the excitement, drive and passion you once had for your work?

If so, you’ve got a classic case of “Career Stagnation Syndrome” – that’s CSS for short.

But, wait a moment. How can I know for sure? What are the complications of CSS? More importantly, how can I get rid of it? You know you may be experiencing “Career Stagnation Syndrome” if:

• Your job has become a fixed and boring routine or “rut;”
• Your career is no longer a path, but a monotonous cycle;
• Your motivation is not as high as it once was; and
• Despite your performance, the satisfaction you once had with your job and your career path is slowly, yet steadily taking a nose dive!

Sound familiar? Although you may feel like the only one out there struggling to rekindle the motivation and to avoid the rut that seems to get deeper and deeper, take heart. Chances are your coworkers, team members – even your manager or VP – may be similarly stuck in the “I-can’t-seem-to-snap-out-of-it” rut.

It happens to the best of us, especially if we no longer feel challenged. And, it can sneak up on us when we least expect it. One minute, our career performance and overall job satisfaction couldn’t be higher and then, something happens. Like hitting a pothole in the road, our motivation takes a dip. It can even happen to us when we are performing above and beyond company expectations, exceeding our sales goals, and achieving great success.

Recently, one of my new clients confessed that, despite reaching his annual sales goal and setting a new company record, he felt “stuck in a rut.” That fire he once had for his job is gone and the challenge, excitement and opportunity that initially compelled him to take the job in the first place has evaporated into thin air.

And, just when we think we are safe, CSS can strike, zapping all the best laid plans to move our career forward…

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