Listen to “the Bottom Line About how to Get Unstuck Now” here.
Ever get stuck on a problem you’re having? You run into a roadblock and then you don’t know how to get unstuck! The longer you stay stuck, the least likely you are to solve the problem. The key is to take action or work through it. Sometimes you just don’t know-how, so that’s what today is all about. Let’s solve those problems so you can get on your badass way.
This system works!
I used this process unknowingly when I was going through a divorce. I waited for months and did nothing. The longer I waited, the more terrifying and overwhelming it became. When I just started making one phone call a day, it didn’t seem so overwhelming. Make your action steps bite-sized, manageable chunks. For example, I would call one utility company a day and ask them to take my name off the utilities. I would google search for something that I didn’t know the answer to. It didn’t take very long to feel empowered and encouraged to continue on because I could see myself making traction!
1) What are you struggling with?
Write down any area of your life that you need to get unstuck. Make a list of all of the things you’re currently having a hard time dealing with or don’t know how to move forward. Just let it flow. Write down as many sticking points as you can. Then go down the list and start with one problem at a time. Run each problem or hiccup through the following process. Getting unstuck is the end goal. Sometimes the problem in our head is much bigger than the problem itself.
2) List all the possible solutions that you can think of off the top of your head.
work through the remaining steps with 1 issue from above (step 1). List all solutions to getting unstuck.
Say you wonder if you can have kids and are stuck in that panic or worry that you won’t have any. Ask yourself what all of the possible solutions are. For example:
Seek medical advice, get tested, freeze your eggs, consider adoption.
Maybe you are in debt and don’t know how to get out of it. Write out how you could solve the problem. For example, read as many books as possible, hire a coach, join a program, learn how to budget, listen to financial podcasts.
3) What can you do today to find the answer?
You wrote out possible solutions earlier, but what if you don’t know the solution? Sometimes the answer is as simple as Googling it or going talk to someone who can help you get the answers you need.
When I was $106,000 in debt, I had no idea how to get out of debt. I had to purchase a program to teach me a system. What can you do? Make a list.
Can you set a doctor’s appointment?
Google possible solutions.
Hire a coach.
After you find out more possible solutions from that expert, make sure to write those down too!
4) List every way you could fail.
You often worry about failing, but you forget to look at what would happen if the worst outcome actually occurred.
If you tried this thing (the goal or outcome you want) and it went horribly wrong, what would that mean to you or about you?
-You won’t be able to have kids or be able to climb to the top of that mountain.
-People will laugh at you
-You will feel embarrassed and ashamed
-Your vision didn’t come true.
Again write down everything that comes to your mind, even if it feels stupid once you thought of it or started writing it down. The point of this exercise is to examine your thoughts and get them out in the open! Let’s get all of those monsters out from under the bed and bring them to light, so they’re no longer scary. Fear lies in the darkness or the unknown.
5) List every way you can overcome those failures.
Take a look at all of the failures you listed in #4 and list every possible way that you could overcome those failures. For example:
You
– Will try again (ie to climb that mountain)
-try to learn from your mistakes and pivot if you need to.
-Will adopt a kid (if you couldn’t have kids).
-Can stand in your glory because at least you tried. Other people who laugh at you for failing aren’t your real friends and likely haven’t pushed their boundaries. Brene Brown says “if you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, then I’m not interested in your feedback.”
-Come up with a response of what you will say to people who make a negative comment. You could say, “at least I tried.”
-You will find another way to accomplish it. When I talked to Jenny Kotlyar, who climbed Mount Whitney, she failed three times. That third time she took a longer route. The first two times Jenny climbed Mount Whitney the climate change affected her. On the third trip, she hiked for an extra week to adjust to the climate change, and as a result, she accomplished her goal. Many people wouldn’t have even considered taking a longer route, for fear of failure.
5b) Ask yourself how you could bounce back from that?
If all of those terrible things happened, how could you possibly bounce back from them? Were the scary things as scary as you thought? Often times you’ll find that they weren’t or that you could still overcome them.
5C) What safety could you put in place?
Ask yourself, what would reduce the chances of the failure occurring. Is there a way you could better prepare or practice to reduce the chance of failure occurring? Hiring a coach or someone who has gone through the same experience before could help you.
6) Create a plan of action.
Look at all those ideas and possible solutions that you came up with earlier and pick the idea which seems the easiest to you right now and do it! If googling a solution seems the easiest, fine, do it. If making a doctor’s appointment is the easiest, then choose that.
Cross off the item you just completed, then number the remaining items on your list 1-10 (or however many things you have listed). One is the easiest and ten being the hardest.
Create a schedule of 1 small thing you can do each day or every week. If you schedule it in your calendar or on your phone, you are more likely to do it. Maybe you even set a reminder on your phone so that you don’t forget! Be committed to getting unstuck!
Take Action!
Now that you have a plan to get unstuck, take action! The quicker you take action the more likely you are to succeed.
Now it’s your turn! Use the 6 step system to get unstuck. Hit reply and let me know! I would love to hear about your journey, both in the beginning and once you complete it.
To your Badassery,
Marie