Stay strong. Be patient. The more stuck you are, the greater the freedom will feel.
10 Strategies to Keep Moving Forward When Feeling Stuck
Lifehack’s Personal Development Expert, a results-driven coach dedicated to helping people achieve greater levels of happiness and success.
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We have all felt stuck at some point in our lives. Perhaps you feel stuck right now. When that happens, it can feel impossible to keep moving forward toward your goals and dreams.
Maybe you’re feeling a little stuck working on a creative project, like writing an article or painting a piece of art. Perhaps you started a new business, took on a major project at work, or began a new health or fitness regimen. Your initial excitement has worn off, and you’re now feeling stuck, confused, or overwhelmed by how to keep progressing forward.
Maybe you’re really stuck. You feel trapped in a job you hate, a relationship that isn’t working, a boatload of debt, or a life that has little resemblance to the one you imagined.
Sometimes we just want to throw in the towel and give up, but don’t give up just yet.
Whether you feel just a little stuck or like you’re stuck in dry concrete, trying to make a small or big decision or wondering what you’re doing with your life, these 10 strategies can help you keep moving forward.
Take a Step Back
Your first step forward when you feel stuck is to take a step back. Often, we try to get unstuck by pushing forward with sheer force or just trying harder. But as Einstein said,
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
Access a different level of thinking by assessing your current situation from a new viewpoint. Whenever I’m working with clients who feel stuck, this is the first thing I ask them to do.
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I have them think about where they are, what got them here, and what they really want. When you step back from your life, career, and challenges and look from a bit of a distance, you see things from a different perspective.
Your Turn:
Imagine you are lost in the woods. You could keep moving forward, looking for your way out. You could panic and go in circles. You could head back the way you came.
Imagine instead that you could stop, take a deep breath, and zoom out from your situation. Imagine you could fly above it all as if you were in a helicopter and look down at yourself among the trees.
What could you see or notice differently from this perspective – a different route, people there to support you, the way out is closer than you thought?
Another way to zoom out is to look at your situation as a neutral observer. Imagine you’re a fly on the wall watching your life. What insights or advice would you give yourself? [1]
Get Specific
It’s hard to move forward until you fully understand why you are stuck. You have to get specific and identify what’s really going on. You must name it to tame it.
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A great mentor of mine once said,
“A well-defined problem presents its own solution.”
For example, there are big differences between, “I feel stuck” and “I feel stuck because I’m overwhelmed with the details” or “I feel stuck because I’m worried what people are going to think of me.” Once you name it, you are more likely to be able to tame it and keep moving forward.
One of the most important questions I ask clients is, “What’s getting in the way?” When they answer, the next question is always, “What else?” We continue along this route until we feel we’ve gotten to the real, underlying issue(s).
Your Turn:
Seek to uncover the underlying issues that are getting in your way and stopping you from progressing. You can do this by journaling, talking to someone who knows you well, or simply taking the time to ask yourself these questions.
Once you name it, perhaps the solution will then present and tame itself.
How to Move Forward on the Road to Success
Whether you’re building a business, looking for a new job, losing weight or developing good habits, it’s important to keep moving forward by taking one step at a time.
However, there are several things that can stop you from moving forward — or delay your progress.
Here’s how to recognize and deal with these factors as soon as they arise, so you move past them as quickly as possible.
1. Self-doubt
Self-doubt whispers in your ear, saying you’re not good enough. Self-doubt tells you you’ll never succeed so what’s the point in trying? Self-doubt tells you other people are much better than you.
We all have moments of self-doubt. Some people have more than others.
Don’t worry when you feel self-doubt. In fact, be happy because it’s a sign that you’re about to move forward. You wouldn’t be doubting yourself if you were doing something inside your comfort zone!
So, take that small step despite your self-doubt. Despite that annoying voice in your head telling you’re not good enough.
You are good enough just as you are, because you’re an individual who has a unique combination of talents, skills and abilities to offer the world.
2. Naysayers
Other people can discourage you from moving forward. They may give you all sorts of reasons why moving towards your goal isn’t a good idea. They may think they’re doing this to protect you, but they’re most likely doing it out of fear.
Deep down, they might think that you’ll no longer have time for them if you’re busy with your new business. Or they may be afraid that you’ll move away if you’re offered one of the jobs you’ve applied for.
So, by all means, listen to people’s advice but listen to your own advice more. If that inner voice is guiding you in a particular direction, move forward in that direction, no matter what other people may think, say or do.
