I want to talk about being stuck. It’s something that brings me down, not being able to get past a certain point – whether it’s personal or professional or whatever. But then I have to remind myself: this feeling of being stuck is a temporary thing. It changes, whether we change ourselves or our circumstances change.
Let’s take an example. How often have you woken up feeling discouraged because you can predict your day? Maybe you’re sick of the same boring routine at work—you know what your boss is going to say, you know what emails you’ll have to answer, you know what phone calls you’ll get. Snooze. Or maybe you get down because you want a significant other in your life, and it seems the more you go out, the more empty your house feels. It’s the same thing every weekend—sometimes you hook up, other times you don’t, but by Sunday afternoon you’re sitting on the couch watching Lifetime and eating Doritos. (Or maybe that was me.)
From time to time, we all feel stuck. I’ve dealt with this a lot, proven with all my job hopping. There are no simple answers when it comes to changing your day-to-day life, your routine. Only you can know if you’re holding yourself back by staying exactly where you are. Change can be scary, but it can also be liberating. When you start to change things, even something as simple as a morning routine, you’ll notice it changes other parts of your life, too. But change also takes patience.
Ok, enough of me sounding cryptic. I’ve put together a list of a few things you can do to help you feel “unstuck” and change things up a bit. Give one or two a shot and see what happens.
Look back. Get out a piece of paper and write down where you were five years ago. Ten years ago. Were you in school? At another job? In a small apartment or living with your parents? Single? With the wrong guy? Your life has probably changed and you have moved forward. It’s nice to remind ourselves every now and then of exactly how far we’ve come.
Give thanks. Yes, I know, it sounds very Pollyanna or something. But making a gratitude list can help better than most other things I’ve tried. It’s a reminder that there are good things in your life right now – whether it’s your friends, your home, your coffee shop, whatever. It all counts.
Accept that you’re work in progress. This one is really hard for me. I like getting to the finish line, not the running part. I’m reminded of this when I go hiking. About halfway up the hill, I just want to be done. But it doesn’t work that way – most of the time, we are in process–in motion. Which means we are working towards goals, towards a vision of the life we’d like. We just have to be patient and allow ourselves the time to get there.
Remind yourself what is most important to you. Would you rather play more and work less? Did you want to have more time for volunteer work, or for writing, or for training for that marathon? We have to set our own priorities – what is most important to each of us, and then put more time and effort into those pursuits. Being selfish and taking your time into your own hands is a must to incorporate real change in your life. Life isn’t all about success in career or love–it’s about being fulfilled.
Cheers, and happy weekend!
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
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