Avoiding life’s plateaus by keeping things fresh …

Just as a body adapts to a workout routine, so too can life become stalled when we fall into repetitive patterns. The concept of plateaus, often encountered in fitness regimens, serves as a powerful metaphor for the importance of keeping things fresh in all aspects of our lives.

In the realm of fitness, plateaus occur when our bodies become accustomed to the demands of a particular workout. Muscles stop growing, weight loss stalls, and progress grinds to a halt. The culprit? Our bodies have become efficient at performing the exercises, requiring a new stimulus to trigger further adaptation and growth. The solution: introduce something fresh. By changing exercises, sets, reps, intensity, or even trying a new activity altogether, we challenge our bodies to adapt and continue progressing toward our goals.

This principle of keeping things fresh extends far beyond the gym. In our careers, for example, sticking to the same routine day in and day out can lead to a lack of creativity and innovation. We may find ourselves going through the motions, uninspired and unchallenged. Here, the introduction of new projects, learning new skills, or even taking on a temporary assignment can jolt us out of this rut and reignite our passion.

Similarly, in our relationships, falling into predictable patterns can lead to boredom and a sense of disconnect. Spontaneity, shared new experiences, or simply trying new activities together can reignite the spark and keep the relationship dynamic.

We can experience this concept of plateauing in our spiritual lives as Christians as well. This can manifest as a lack of growth in our relationship with God, where routine prayers become rote and church attendance becomes a habit rather than a meaningful engagement with faith. Just as in careers where we may settle into comfortable roles without seeking new challenges, or in relationships where we may become complacent in our connections, our spiritual lives can suffer when we fail to actively seek growth, fail to be intentional about exercising our faith, or don’t confront doubts and questions. Without intentional effort to draw closer to God, deepen our spiritual practices, engage with scripture, and cultivate authentic relationships within our faith family, we risk hitting a plateau in our spiritual formation.

The key to avoiding or overcoming plateaus lies in intentionality. We must be proactive in seeking out new experiences and challenges, even in areas where we feel comfortable. This doesn’t necessitate drastic changes; small tweaks to our routines can make a big difference. Taking a different route to work, joining a book club, starting a hobby, making new friends, delving into a deep study of a specific book of the Bible, or learning a new language are all ways to introduce some freshness into our lives.

By intentionally injecting some aspect of freshness into various areas of our lives, we can break free from the threat of plateaus and keep ourselves motivated and engaged. Just as our bodies crave new challenges to continue growing stronger, so too do our minds and spirits. By keeping things fresh, we open ourselves up to new possibilities, more consistent growth, and a more enjoyable way of living.

Scotty