Last week I presented to a corporate group about getting unstuck. It was a great group of people. You certainly wouldn’t have walked into the meeting and thought “Well, Sarah really has her work cut out for her this time.” If you had attended this meeting with me, you would have looked around and correctly assumed that the individuals in the room were happy and successful people.
The meeting was actually a “Lunch and Learn” opportunity for the staff members of an Indianapolis business. The staff members had been electronically polled and were able to vote for their favorite topic to learn more about. To my great surprise, “Where Are You Stuck?” was the far-and-away favorite “Lunch and Learn” topic when the staff votes were counted.
In a nutshell, and in the spirit of Spring (although its not quite here), I will share a few secrets with you:
SECRET #1: The most important part of getting unstuck is REALIZING that you are stuck. Your life may be just fine and dandy looking from the outside. But if you feel a bit bored and restless, you’re probably stuck. If you are wondering if time is just passing you by and you cannot recall any truly great moments in 2016, you might be stuck. If you have hopes and dreams that have been permanently or temporarily delayed, you’re most likely stuck. It’s tough to admit to ourselves that we are stuck but it is the BIGGEST step to becoming unstuck.
SECRET #2: Looking at successful and happy people and copying them will not get you unstuck. In fact, imitation or unauthentic behavior is a sure pathway to being, or quickly becoming, stuck. Learning how to truly be yourself, and honest with others about how you feel is not easy. Being authentic is hard work but it is the best and most direct route to getting unstuck.
SECRET #3: Spending time shoring up your weaknesses is not a path to getting unstuck. All of us have certain activities at work and at home that we detest. The world tells us to worry about potential failure and, therefore, many of us sink time and energy into doing and practicing the things we are unsuited to doing or practicing. It begs the question: Do you practice writing with your non-dominant hand on the weekends hoping to improve? No. You’ve realized, since the world and your teachers tell you this is the case, that once you’ve determined your natural predisposition for right or left-handedness that it is set and unchanging. You are not preoccupied with this deficit and do little to practice writing with your non-dominant hand hoping for improvement. But in many areas where we find weakness, we do not accept this truth. We arch our backs, literally or metaphorically. We insist, and may honestly believe, that we can and will improve. Resist this temptation.
I hope these three secrets to getting unstuck are helpful to you. If you want to learn more about getting unstuck, please see the link to my book below. If you think your staff might want to learn more about this topic to get unstuck at work or at home, please contact me at sarah@freshconceptsonline.com.
