Moving Past Stuck And Reaching Your Goals
Getting unstuck often sounds like a beautiful dream, but so many people struggle for a long time before ever making any progress or they give up and give in to their nature. But what if I told you getting stuck is often what happens right before a breakthrough occurs? So how do you get over the hump and make it a reality? I’ve been in your shoes and I know what it’s like to feel trapped as if there are no moves left. It can feel like your goals are unattainable and it leaves you feeling like a failure. The questions is does it really mean you’re a failure? Is there something special about others who have reached their goals that you don’t have? More often than not, it’s just our fears or anticipation of failure that gets in our way. It’s not just that you don’t know how to get over this obstacle, it’s that you don’t know how to do it yet. As subtle difference that can help make huge shifts in mindset for you. So how do we overpower those pre-conditioned responses? How do we rewrite our childhood programming? Well…I’m glad you asked. Today I’m going to share 7 things you can do to move past stuck and start reaching for your goals today.
#1 TAKE ACTION
When it comes to your goals there’s no better way to get unstuck than to start taking action, but that’s easier said than done. It’s time to rip off the bandaid and start getting into the mode of doing. What does that look like? Take just one step toward your bigger goal. Consider thinking about what the minimum is that you can do to move yourself toward your goal that would leave you feeling accomplished. Make that your first action step. Often, once you get started you start to build momentum and as you keep taking action, you become unstoppable.
#2 TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
When we do any activity for a while we start to create habits and routines around those things. Often it’s based on what is easiest or most convenient, but it could also be that it’s more pleasurable to do things in that way. Sometimes these habits are helpful in moving us toward our goals and sometimes they can make us feel stuck. And in those times when we get stuck, continuing with the status quo isn’t going to cut it. In fact, it only keeps us in this perpetual cycle of stuckness. Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? So, what can you do? If you want to break free, it’s time to shake things up. What does that look like? It can be literally anything…big, small, it doesn’t really matter. The idea is that when you start taking different actions it can lead you on a path to different results.
Some Ideas To Try:
start a gratitude journal
ask for help
go to bed earlier
drink more water
try a new food
learn a new skill
talk to someone new
These are just some ideas to get you thinking, but once you do it, see how it goes. Do a little reflection on your week to see if anything has changed (mood, weight loss, energy, productivity, etc.)
#3 WRITE DOWN ALL THE PROBLEMS
Worry, negative thoughts, and stress can cripple the thought process as they swirl around and around in your mind only creating more doubt. This is not the mindset you want to be in when you are trying to reach goals because you’ll talk yourself out of it every single time. So, I recommend doing a brain dump to get all that yuck out of your head and give you some distance from it. This starts to depersonalize these worries as if they are no longer a part of you and allows for the opportunity to open up space in your brain for new positive thoughts, ideas, creativity, problem solving, etc. So in essence, instead of clearing the physical clutter, it’s time to clear the mental clutter so you can think objectively and rationally and have a brain that’s got some breathing room to think. Now you can take each problem one at a time and start brainstorming the ways you could overcome them. The trick here is to refrain from judgement and just keep writing even if the ideas are terrible. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything else and then stop. You may even want to put it away and come back to look at it at another time or on a later date. It’s kind of like when you are writing a paper. Do you do the whole thing in one day or do you complete it over several days with time to make edits and revisions and look at it with a fresh pair of eyes?
#4 START BEFORE YOU’RE READY
The truth is ready never comes or at least not for a long while unless you build experience that proves otherwise. The only way to do that is to start before you feel ready. That means, it’s time to dig up all those fears that you have about taking action. What comes up for you? What is holding you back from moving forward? Really think about this and sometimes just being able to recognize these fears, honoring them for what they’ve given you, and then showing them the evidence that you will be ok can be powerful!!
#5 BREAK GOALS DOWN INTO MANAGEABLE CHUNKS
Would you ever expect yourself to climb Mount Everest on day 1 of you working out ever? If you said yes, they we need to talk! But seriously, of course you wouldn’t. Why? It’s TOTALLY unrealistic and it would only set yourself up for failure. So often we look at the end result and see it as an insurmountable task. So one way to get unstuck is to break it down into smaller more manageable chunks and tasks so that you feel more in control and like that task is doable. So let’s say your goal is to lose 20 lbs in the next 90 days you could break your goal up into categories like nutritional support, movement, fun!
#6 CREATE YOUR VISION
When working toward goals, having a vision for what you are trying to achieve can be the single most important thing that helps to push you through when you are feeling stuck. When you’re in that place where everything seems insurmountable and you can’t quite put your finger on what needs to happen to get over that hump, that’s when burnout, overwhelm, stress, and all the feels begin to set in. What if you had an unshakable vision that you were working toward that was bigger than just the end result? What if it was a vision for what your end result gives you? So I will ask you now…What is your goal? What does that goal give you when it comes to your relationships, career, health, finances, etc.? What does that look, feel, smell, sound and taste like? Really tease it out by using your senses and peeking into these areas of life. See what comes up for you and get really specific. Maybe even try a meditation to see if that brings up ideas for you. The idea is really to get started looking inward and becoming aware of what this vision really is. See if you can craft a vision that is not only something you love, but it gets you so much more than just your goal. That’s where the money’s at. That’s what keeps you going. Once you reach your goal or your vision for what that goal would look like, it’s time to think bigger.
#7 GET A LIFE COACH
Getting unstuck is something that will take time. It is part of shifting thought patterns, overcoming childhood programming that your belief systems were based on. Be patient with yourself as you move through this process. Awareness is the first step, and then it’s on to taking action and making different choices so that you can create a brand new routine as you begin to embody a new mindset and set of beliefs. This is the type of transformation a life coach offers. They are there to ask the hard questions, hold you accountable and be your biggest cheerleader so you can make the progress you want in a shorter period of time. If you’re tired of being on the struggle bus and you think you need help peeling back those layers, a life coach may be the option for you!
Whatever you do, take the time to look inward and give yourself some grace. No one changes over night and you are no different. Allow the process to take place and be present, but go along for the ride. It will take you places you never thought possible.
I’d love to hear from you. Did you find this helpful? What have you tried? What are you still working on? How can I help? There’s lots more like this to come so stay tuned!!!
