Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut? A routine? A pattern that you can’t seem to break? Do you keep getting results you DON’T want, with no idea how to begin generating results you DO want?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, perhaps it’s time to explore the reasons why. With some simple self-exploration you can pinpoint the areas of your life that need to change. It may require you to leave your comfort zone, but in the end there is little question that your decision will be worth the discomfort.
It’s also important for you to build an action plan. If you stay organized and follow a simple plan of action step by step, there will be nothing that can stop you from achieving your goals.
Here are some ideas that can get you on your way to getting unstuck:
1. Ask yourself some tough questions- and answer honestly. The first step is to figure out why you’re feeling stuck in the first place. Without an honest assessment of your current beliefs about what is happening in your life, you will continue to be stuck where you are. Think about the following questions:
- What specifically is happening in my life that I want to, have to, MUST change?
- What do I believe about my ability to create the change I want in my life?
- If I don’t believe I have the power to create that change, what is creating that belief? Is it based on facts? Or is it based on perception? Or someone else’s opinion?
- What if the negative things I believe about myself aren’t accurate? What possibilities does that open up for me?
- What would I attempt to do if I believed in my talents, skills, and abilities to create a life I love? If there were no perceived barriers or limitations other than natural law, where would I be 1 year from now? 5 years? End of my life?
- Who do I know and trust in my life that could be a mirror for me, who knows me well enough to tell me honestly about what they see as potential in me?
2. Begin Setting Specific Goals. Start with just 2 or 3 of the most important goals you have. You don’t have to have the whole pathway figured out. In fact, it’s not even realistic to attempt that! Because if you think you have to map out every step between where you are and where you want to go, you’ll overwhelm yourself with frustration about the unknown, and you’ll stay stuck where you are! Start with just one or two actions YOU KNOW YOU CAN TAKE that will move you in that direction. Once you’ve achieved those baby steps, take one or two more. Repeat, repeat, repeat. You don’t have to swing for the fences every single time you’re at bat…base hits will score runs too, you know.
3. You May be Afraid, But Do It Anyway. Being afraid of change is one of the biggest reasons why you get stuck in the first place. Perhaps you’re feeling trapped in your job and, in order to get the job you’d like, you have to go back to college. You need to get over your fear and see what you need to do to apply. And the only way to get over your fear is to confront it. You’ve heard the phrase, ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, or ‘everything you want is on the other side of your fear.’ Both are accurate. Both are empowering. Apply both, and your life will transform.
4. Look For Role Models. Find someone who has been through your situation or something similar and see how he or she was able to overcome obstacles. If possible, ask this person questions. Pay special attention to their thinking that helped to create their solution. There is a direct link that is the lynchpin to helping YOU get unstuck…
5. Change Your Thinking. It’s true: your actions first start as thoughts. Everything is a thought before it becomes a thing. If you tell yourself there is no solution, no answer, no way forward, you’ll be right. But by the Law of Polarity, the same is true of the opposite thinking.
What IF you challenged yourself to allow for the possibility that you CAN figure out steps to take to not only remove you from your current circumstance, but even more powerfully, you CAN create a life that thrills and inspires you? What IF that were possible? It will be if you decide it will be. As Henry Ford said, “If you think you can or you can’t, you’re right”. You get to choose…
6. Take Time. Remember to take some time for yourself to collect your thoughts. You may discover some insight into how to solve your challenges. Make sure you’re completely alone with your thoughts without any distractions. In this space of quiet reflection and meditation, ask yourself this question, “What COULD I do to change my situation?” And then just listen to what drops in for you…
This is called sourcing. And it’s a POWERFUL ideation exercise…within the next couple of weeks I’ll dive deeper into sourcing, and how you can apply it to dramatic effect in your life over and over again. Stay tuned…
Taking Action
It’s easy to remain in your “stuck” situation because it’s familiar and you know what’s going to happen. You might even feel safe. However, eventually the dissatisfaction you feel will take over and you’ll realize that the only way to get “unstuck” is to take immediate action to change. Even if, ESPECIALLY if, it’s uncomfortable.
That discomfort you feel are your paradigms rising up to preserve the status quo. Sometimes those paradigms serve you well. Most times, they keep you stuck. So if you’re feeling uncomfortable, that is a GOOD sign that you’re challenging your comfort zone- you’re taking action to get out of it! That’s validation that you’re on the right path.
Make the Change
Once you choose your timetable, you’ll want to break down your changes into small steps. Track your progress and tweak your system to make sure your changes are making a difference.
For example, if you’re feeling stuck in a relationship, you’ll first evaluate where you think the concern lies. Perhaps you aren’t communicating effectively. If so, you can set a timetable of three months to overcome this challenge.
You can then break down the problem into smaller steps by reading a book on communication, talking about it with your partner, or attempting counseling sessions. As you go through these actions, you’re constantly keeping a close eye on how it affects your relationship.
In the end you have a firm decision about your relationship’s progress and you no longer feel stuck. If you hadn’t taken action, it’d be impossible to improve and a year or years from now you’d find yourself in the very same unhappy place.
Repeat the Process
Once you’ve applied this system to one aspect of your life, you can use the same strategies whenever you’re feeling stuck. Whether large or small, there are always actions you can choose to take to break through barriers!
You DO get to choose, you know- what kind of life do you really want?
