Do you feel stuck in life? Like nothing you do works out and life sucks?
- You try to lose weight but the scale goes up.
- You try to get a new job but you constantly get the “We’ve gone with another candidate” email.
- You try to launch the business but get no sales.
- You try to get into a relationship but everyone just wants to keep it casual.
You’re exhausted with hoping and trying because you can’t seem to get anywhere.
Hello pot, I’m kettle. I’ve been in a space where I felt helpless. Like life had chewed me up and spit me out. I experienced every scenario listed above until I gave up and fell into depression for over a year. I thought God had abandoned me so I just gave up on hoping and trying because what was the use? After feeling sorry for myself for long enough, I decided to try again. I figured I might as well because when life sucks you can either accept it and do nothing or refuse to settle and move forward. I chose to move forward.
Although I haven’t reached all of my goals, I can say that I no longer feel stuck. I realized that feeling stuck was all about perspective and the story I was telling myself. I had to rewire my thinking to start moving forward. Here are the 5 practical steps I took when my life sucked to get unstuck and start moving.
Take Inventory of Your Life
When was the last time you sat down and truly evaluated your life? Each section of it including your spiritual health, mental health, financial health, relational health, etc. Which parts are working well and which need improvement? In my own experience, my mental and emotional health needed work. I was bitter and when you’re bitter, it’s hard to commit to positive change. All you want to do is feel sorry for yourself and use disappointment as an excuse not to move forward. I had to be honest with myself and face the bitterness and heal from it. I could then see the areas of my life which were causing me to feel stuck.
Your first step is to take inventory of your life. Be honest with yourself, even if it hurts. Sit still and allow your body to tell you what’s wrong. Too many times we are so busy moving that we ignore our body trying to reveal to us the hard truths we’re running from. Sit still in silence and truly address what’s going on.
Shift Your Perspective
Your perspective is your reality. If you view yourself as stuck then you will remain stuck. But if you view your current circumstance as a temporary season in life needed for growth, then you’ll move forward. Life change begins head first. You have to get it in your mind and believe it before you’ll commit to working towards your goals. The best way to do this is to stop complaining and begin to practice gratitude. I know, it sounds cliche but it works. I did a challenge where I stopped complaining for 30 days and instead, I thanked God for good health, food, shelter, the ability to hear, eyesight, etc. This shifted my perspective. It showed me all the things I should be grateful for that I wasn’t. Learning to be appreciative even when you don’t feel like it is a game changer.
Encourage Yourself
You have to begin to encourage yourself before your life circumstances change. Usually, people don’t start smiling or praising themselves until after they accomplish the goal. That’s ineffective when you’re attempting to level up to the life of your dreams. You have to learn how to encourage yourself before you feel like doing anything. This will help you get started and maintain your momentum. You’ll certainly need it to keep going once you start moving. Getting unstuck requires discipline and hard work. You’ll need the skill of encouraging yourself to avoid stopping so it’s best to build the skill now.
Get Moving
In the words of Nike, just do it. You just have to start. You can’t get unstuck when you’re not moving so you need to get moving. Start working towards small, short-term goals. This will boost your confidence to go after your bigger goals. You need to believe in yourself to get unstuck and that’s what movement helps you with. Staying where you are will guarantee that you remain stuck. You have to get moving, even if you don’t feel like you’re ready. You’ll never feel ready but do it anyway.
Create a Plan
The best way to overcome feeling stuck is with a plan of action. You need a guide to put one foot in front of the other until you reach the life you aspire to have. Sit down and write out your main goal. Start with one goal. Begin to list the steps it will take to accomplish that one goal. If you’re unsure, research on Google and/or Youtube. Write your full plan on paper and commit to this plan.
If you want a full guide to getting unstuck, check out my new guided journal Get Unstuck When Life Sucks:30-Day Guided Self-Help Journal With Journal Prompts. It’s a 30-Day guide to help you move forward toward the life of your dreams.