Moving from Stuck
The moment I get in a car, as a passenger, I get sleepy. Not sure why, but I just want to take a nap. I think it is the gentle feeling of moving down the road. I think this because the moment we stop for a longer period of time, I am awake. This is especially true when we get stuck in a stopped traffic. Something in my body tells me the situation isn’t normal, and the next thing I know, I am wide awake.
My body doesn’t like being stopped, being stuck.
This is true in many other aspects in my life, especially in my work life. I hate the feeling of being stuck. I can sense my self going into an immediate mode of desperation. I look all over the place for any way out. I just need to move.
When it comes to being stuck at work, I have found these 5 reflections to be very helpful:
Stop and breathe. Sometime we NEED to stop. Our body and mind is trying to tell us that it needs a season of rest to recoup and reassess. This is good.
Talk to peers and managers. Counsel is important. Perhaps there is a reason for our “stuck-ness” that we can’t see but others, who are close to us, see it. Give them permission to speak truth into your life. Everybody has been stuck at times in their life, so hearing their perspective and counsel may be the very thing you need to hear to start moving forward.
Understand the journey. Every road trip we take, journey we embark on, or trip we partake on, has built in times of rest. It may be a quick stop at a gas station to grab fuel or a stop to grab food. If we find ourselves on a multi-day trip, we must take the needed time to stop and sleep or we put ourselves and others in jeopardy as we fit fatigue. It is important to understand that life is a journey. And we must take evaluation of where we are at in the journey. This assessment may bring to light that the reason for our “stuck-ness” is a forced rest because we have an exciting climb or difficult obstacles ahead that will need our full energy.
Calculate the “stuck-ness.” There may be a very good reason you are stuck. Perhaps you have too many assignments on your desk that need to be completed before you can move forward. Sometime it is a class or training that we need to attend in order to start moving. Maybe we don’t have the right tools in our toolbox to move ahead. Whatever the case, assess the situation and evaluate the cause and appropriate actions that need to be implemented to move ahead.
Kick it into gear. When ready, kick your life into gear and just start moving forward. There are times, we notice that our life has slipped into neutral and no matter how hard you push down on the pedal, you won’t move and inch when in neutral. Put your life into the right gear and start moving.
Being stuck can be a good thing, for a moment. This is especially true when we need to rest. But it is vitally important that we don’t stay stuck for a long period of time. Don’t be afraid to move forward, even when you don’t exactly know where the road ahead leads.