Ever feel stuck?
Too burned out or discouraged to move forward?
Ever felt mad at yourself for not making progress, but at the same time, not sure why?
Yeah. I get it.
We’ve all been there.
It’s not just me. Psychology Today reports that depression is rarely recognized by high-achievers. For a high number of executives, “getting to the top only brings crippling emotional bleakness.”
To make things worse, when overachievers become clinically depressed, they fall harder than those without big goals. Yet, achievers are least likely to seek help.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse… it does.
If you’re not fascinated by your work or life, it’s easy to get discouraged, demoralized, and even depressed.
How to get reengaged?
Robert Frost wrote, “The best way out is always through.” Yet how can you move through the hard part, and back into your flow?
Below, I’ll share my 11 inspirations for getting unstuck, and re-fascinated with your work and life.
11. Fear causes paralysis.
The antidote? Action. Only action allows you to reclaim control, and get moving again.
10. Mistakes are tuition.
The trick isn’t to avoid failure; it’s to know how to cope with failure when it does happen.
9. The most powerful incentive for success is… failure.
Studies on children born in terrible situations, such as depression or war, showed that they grow up heartier, more resilient, and ultimately have a better chance of success.
8. Work towards the positive, not away from the negative.
It’s impossible to win if your goal is to avoid losing. Looking ahead helps you come from a place of power.
7. Embrace your inner underdog.
At its worst, feeling like an underdog can shut you down. At its best, being pushed down can call you forth to perform at the highest level. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, describes how he grew from a tiny record mailing-order company into an empire with dozens of divisions by never losing touch with his underdog’s agility. Be an underdog, and challenge the 800-lb gorilla.
6. Wrestle defeat to the ground.
Some days, success is about luck, or talent, or skill. But most days, success is about wrestling defeat to the ground until it screams uncle.
5. Expect people to say you can’t make it.
Economics student Fred Smith outlined an idea for an overnight delivery service, and was awarded a ‘C’. Smith went on to create FedEx. In your own life, where are you supposedly average, but actually simply unrecognized as exceptional? Being true to you requires being the biggest, best version of yourself. Beware of people who want to pull you down to keep them company. Don’t let anyone cram you into a smaller reality.
4. Pull rabbits out of hats, even when there are no rabbits and no hats.
Rarely will you have the resources, tools, training, and support necessary to succeed. In fact, you can pretty much count on success seeming like impossibility. This does not mean it is impossible.
3. Higher goals have the potential for lower crashes.
If it was easy, everyone would do it.
2. Protect hope at all costs.
There is something worse than losing your job, your reputation, your nest egg, even your pride. And that is losing hope. The whole point of careering is to create a position of strength. Taking a pay cut, trying and failing, being embarrassed— all these can be reversed. But once your hope dies, it’s very, very hard to get back. Arianna Huffington said, “Sometimes the best way to finish a project is to just drop it completely.”
1. Long lives optimism.
Don’t avoid the fine line between feeling inspired and nervous. That’s where your best self becomes most alive.
If you don’t experience feeling stuck, odds are you’re not truly putting yourself out there, taking risks and fully engaging.
Sometimes, fear (and its cousin, demoralization) is the best thing that could happen. That’s where breakthroughs live and breathe.
The question isn’t if you’ll get stuck… it’s how you’ll respond when you do.
I got unstuck. Finally.
That’s how I’m writing this to you, right now, here, today.
Thank you for being part of my unstuckness.
We all feel stuck (or trapped or demoralized or frozen) at times. If you know someone who can’t seem to get back in the groove, share this with them.
SHARE YOUR STORY:
What makes you feel stuck? And, what helps you feel unstuck?
