Stuck? 9 Ways to Move Your Life Forward

Feeling stuck is a very disempowering state of mind. You want something, but something else outside of your control is making you feel powerless.

You feel like a victim to your circumstances.

As one of my life coaches suggests, to get unstuck, you’ll want to step outside of your current frame of mind, shift your thinking, and gain a new perspective. You won’t feel stuck once you reclaim ownership over the situation.

Here are the 9 ways to get unstuck and move your life forward.

Pinpoint Why You Feel Stuck

Get clear on where you’re stuck and why you feel this way. Do you feel stuck in your job? Why? Are you stuck in your social life or in a relationship? See how well you can identify more exactly where you are stuck and what’s happening for you in this area that you feel stuck in. See if you can explore it in a deeper way. Just this simple step can bring a lot more clarity on the situation.

Hire a Life Coach

A life coach specializes in helping you to move forward. Oftentimes when we are stuck, we have a blindspot. By definition, we can’t see our blindspot no matter how much work we do, until someone else shows it to us. A life coach is the perfect person to help you pinpoint what is keeping you stuck. You’ll get an outsider’s perspective on what you’re not seeing. A life coach is an expert on finding new ways to move your life forward.

Journal

Spend at least 15 minutes journaling about it. Write down: why you feel stuck, what opportunities are available to you to move forward, what hasn’t been working, what new ideas you might try, and so forth. Ask yourself some pointed questions. You might be surprised at what comes up.

Meditate

Spend at least 10 minutes really meditating on it. Let the issue you’re feeling stuck on sit in the background of your meditation, while new ideas and new perspectives enter the foreground of your mind. Hold the sense of “stuckness” loosely in your mind (without being attached to it), and become conscious of new ways you might view the situation.

Ask People Close to You

Again, when you feel stuck, oftentimes you just need a new perspective or a shift in your thinking. And this can be difficult to do alone. If you can’t afford a life coach, ask your best friend what they think. Talk to your sibling or a family member, see what your closest co-workers think, ask God (if that’s someone you talk to).

Do Some Research

Like many things, you can just Google it. Consider how specifically or generally you want to search for whatever it is that you’re feeling stuck on. Maybe you need to find new strategies and new tactics to reach your goals. Maybe you’ll find an article where the author was in a very similar situation, or you might come across a forum discussion about the specific area that you’re feeling stuck in.

Brainstorm

Start brainstorming new ways that you can get you what you want. For example, if your goal is to have a very popular blog but you’re struggling to gain traction, start brainstorming some new ways that you can increase your blog’s popularity. Make a list of every idea that comes to mind without judging it, even if it’s the worst idea ever. After your “brain dump”, you can go back and revise your list. Let some fresh ideas come to you.

Talk to Your Most Successful Friend or Acquaintance

Ask him or her what they think of your situation and what they would do if they were in it. Be open to feedback and get some input. You might be surprised to hear their view of your position and how they would move forward in it.

Try Something New

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The message? Try doing something new, even if it’s small. Getting unstuck is all about taking some baby steps to start moving forward again towards what you want. So take the first step.