As I took time to reflect back on the most common themes thus far in my coaching, I noticed a clear theme: PEOPLE GET STUCK!
In life, there are many ways we can GET STUCK:
STUCK in traffic
STUCK due to a snowstorm or other weather event
STUCK in mud
STUCK in an airport when our flight gets delayed or cancelled
STUCK with a flat tire
Many of these represent ways that we get PHYSICALLY BLOCKED from where we're trying to go. Some of these clear up on their own (the traffic starts moving again, the flight gets rescheduled, the snow eventually melts), but others might require us to seek help from others (such as getting someone to pull our vehicle out of mud or change a flat tire for us).
Each of my clients connected with me because they were STUCK in some area of their life.
STUCK in not knowing what next steps to take
STUCK in uncertainty about a decision they needed to make
STUCK in their job and feeling they had no control over their future
STUCK in grief or other emotions after a loss (loss of loved one, job loss, etc.)
STUCK in their thinking yet wanting to bring joy back to their lives
STUCK in a dead-end job that they stopped enjoying years ago
STUCK in a pattern of putting everyone else first and never taking care of themselves
These examples represent times when we're EMOTIONALLY OR MENTALLY BLOCKED and don't know how to move forward. Many try for years to struggle through these situations on their own; however, they either don't have the time to deal with it (see the last bullet point about putting everyone else first) OR they simply have tried everything and honestly don't know WHAT to do differently to break the cycle they're STUCK in.
I have found that many of the solutions to GETTING UNSTUCK link back to reminding ourselves about what we CAN or CANNOT CONTROL in our lives.
We CANNOT control the actions of others; however, we CAN set clear boundaries.
We CANNOT control what others think of us; however, we CAN control how we speak to ourselves (self-talk).
We CANNOT control the past or future; however, we CAN control the thoughts and actions we allow ourselves to have about those parts of our lives.
We CANNOT control what happens around us; however, we CAN control how we handle challenges.
We CANNOT control the outcome of our efforts all of the time; however, we CAN control what we choose to give our energy and attention to.
Interestingly, the longer we STAY STUCK, the more likely it is that we might even get comfortable with it - it becomes part of our story and who we are (or so we think). However, if you think about an area of your life where you're feeling STUCK, I'm sure you'll agree that even if we do get used to it, it doesn't feel good and it doesn't bring joy or positive energy to our lives.
I'll share a secret with you: You CAN get UNSTUCK! You simply need to be READY AND WILLING to GET UNSTUCK! And if you are ready, the time to start your journey to GETTING UNSTUCK is NOW! There IS a way out - let's find it together!
