How to get unstuck and take action

Do you have any “leftover goals” from last year? Maybe those goals are somewhat like leftover food that gets old and tossed out. Have you identified new goals you want to achieve? If you are having trouble moving toward those goals, are you stuck, taking no action, taking actions that are ineffective or, worse yet, taking some actions that are even destructive? We are looking at things we want to do and how to make them happen. Here are some ideas we use to help us if we get stuck. We wanted to pass them along for you to consider in your planning process to get to where you want to be.

First, identify where you are stuck and what your lack of action is all about. It’s time to acknowledge what you can see when you take time to look at the situation. Notice your behavior. Here are some questions to ask yourself. What do you say you want to do – but your actions say something else? Look at the contrast between what you do when you really want to do something and what you do when you don’t want to do it. Let’s explore some of the underlying reasons why you stay stuck so you can get unstuck.

To find out why you get stuck, we need to go deeper to identify what are your subconscious or real fears. You might have apprehension about even starting the steps toward your goal or actually fear arriving at your goal. Do you wonder if the goal is too big and you will give up and never achieve it – so why even start? Do you worry that if you finally achieve that intimate relationship that you want, the person will leave you? If you get that promotion you want, are there too many responsibilities that you won’t be able to handle? Do you feel that maybe you don’t deserve to have, for example, vibrant health, a great relationship, the job of your dreams, abundant finances, etc.

Now, this may seem strange, but ask yourself, “What are the “advantages” of being stuck?” There may be some definite perceived payoffs. When stuck, you don’t have to risk. Where you are is familiar and you don’t have to get out of your comfort zone. You don’t have to take on extra responsibilities. You don’t have to worry about failing. There are many more reasons and that’s why people can remain stuck. Explore to see if there are any advantages to being stuck so you can clear any misconceptions.

As your mind gains clarity about what keeps you stuck, you can get unstuck, make a plan and take action to reach your goals.

We talked to some people to see how they get unstuck to achieve their goals.
We met Marilyn Clements and she shared, “I really haven’t accomplished my goal yet but I’m on my way to accomplishing it. It’s really a mindset goal and, as a mother and a teacher, I think of everybody else first and never myself. So I have to start putting myself first. I read a quote that said, ‘You can’t drink coffee from an empty cup.’ So I need to fill myself first with healthiness and then I can still be healthy for everyone else and take care of everybody else. So that’s my goal that I hope to accomplish soon.”

Then we met Shelley Grace and asked her how she overcomes obstacles on the way to reaching her goals. Shelley said, “Yes, I’ve had that experience, probably more than once in my life. The most important thing when you are trying to overcome an obstacle is attitude. Really trying to understand what it is inside of you that is making you stop and why mentally you can’t overcome that. Once you understand that, and you can really see what’s in front of you, you can figure out a way around it. So for me, that’s the most important part, self-awareness and maybe self-understanding.

We, and the people we talked to, recognize the importance of mindset when wanting to get unstuck and take action. What about you? Are you stuck and want to take action?

Here’s a challenge: Take time to look at your mindset to identify what’s holding you back and why. From that clarity, you can create a plan with specific steps that move you forward. If you get stuck, look at the suggested ways to get unstuck and back on track. Encourage yourself, keep going in the right direction and you will accomplish your desired goals.
Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at
WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2017 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.