Getting Unstuck

Do you sometimes feel stuck? Like you haven't progressed? The heavy feeling of not having achieved what you thought you would've by now, or hoped you would've. And then that burden sucks the energy out of you. You try to focus on work, you try to shift the perspective, but it isn't working like it usually does.

Sometimes, avoiding those emotions is counterproductive. They stay in your heart and at the back of your mind, simmering.

Reflect

You have to let it flow through you—in, process, then out. You have to find out why you're feeling like the way you do. Give yourself a moment to reflect. Sit down and find out what your mind is telling you.

What started it? Has it been brewing within you for a long time? Were there triggers in your immediate surroundings that pulled them to surface? Are there desires that you haven't fulfilled? Are there worries and fears hindering you?

List them down. Write on your journal. Dump all those thoughts, emotions, and realizations on paper. Acknowledge them, and then let them out.

Unearth Your Desires

When you try to understand these emotions and where they're coming from, you can then find out your deepest desires. How unstuck looks like to you. How progress looks like.

In contrast to your current situation, visualize the future state that you crave. You can ask yourself, "What does progress look like in the next three months? In the next six months? In the next year?"

Bring that vision in your mind, and work out the details. It might look like something like this:

• Having a schedule that lets you practice yoga three times a week
• Getting your writing published in a magazine
• Starting a new project or working on a business idea you've had for years
• Potential clients reaching out to you, instead of you sending messages to them
• Moving to a new city, in a home you've always dreamed of
• Donating a certain amount every month to a cause that you're passionate about
• Finding time for a hobby you had to let go of to focus on career
• Having for time to spend with family and friends

Visualizing that future state will help you understand what you want more deeply, and it serves as an inspiration. Let it spark your drive. Let it give you motivation. That's where you want to be, and that's where you're going.

Create a Roadmap

And then, of course, determine what you can do to get there. Having an action plan removes ambiguity and lessens the friction. From today and in the next months, you'll know what the next steps are. You can focus on doing.

After this whole exercise, you'll know what's causing the feeling of being stuck, what kind of future you desire, and how to get there. Follow your plan, get moving, get unstuck.