In the same way that we might find ourselves driving along with music in the background that we’re not really paying attention to, life can be the same.

It’s there, and it’s OK. Not bad enough to change, not good enough to turn up. It is, in a word, “Fine.”

Nothing is standout. You still get up every day, go through your routine and you might even occasionally wonder if you’re OK with things. But right when your attention turns inward, something else captures it: a child, a dog that needs walking or feeding, maybe a spouse who had a rough day, the laundry, a TV show that delays your reflection for another half-hour, some online activities that put things off for the better part of a day.

The next day is also fine — no better, no worse. You sense that you’re in a holding pattern. You’re in idle. You’re wasting gas. What to do?

Identify something small to improve. It might not be something that you think needs fixing, but change it up anyway. Take a different way to work. Start a once-a-week habit of treating yourself to something special.

Take a class. Take the trip you’ve been thinking about. Plan a day trip. Take a walk every morning. Plan a weekend trip. Learn a new skill. Try out a new recipe — and if you’re adventurous, host a dinner party and try that recipe out on friends for the first time.

Fine isn’t bad, but there’s room for improvement. It doesn’t have to cost money, it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. And this isn’t to say that the things that require our attention on a daily basis are things we should turn our back on. On the contrary, involving them in your mission might transform “fine” to something better, too.

Tonight I am thankful and excited to find a way to shift fine to awesome, and to stop wasting fuel by idling. Here’s to change of any size, on any level.

Are you in the market for change?