Getting Un-stuck!

This article appeared in the January 2005 issue of Spirited Solutions’ E-Newsletter.

My clients and students tell me over and over, “You helped me get un-stuck!” What that means to each person varies. For some, it means releasing the past and creating an entirely new career path or business. For others it means reinvigorating the stagnant areas of their relationships and work. For yet others, it means spiritual awakening and the rush of being in divine flow, of feeling the freedom of surrender to a higher, spiritual reality.

The advent of 2005 offers us a chance to take stock of where we are and take decisive action that will move us forwards to where we want to be. I challenge you to make an honest appraisal of where you are in your life. Where do you want to be this time next year? Where do you feel stuck, paralyzed, or powerless?

Our stuck places are actually pregnant with possibility! What is “stuckness”? Isn’t it the awareness that we are bigger, better, and more bountiful than we appear to be at the moment? Isn’t it frustration that we are not manifesting what we want in our lives and living up to our potential?

Imagine gluing a block of wood to the floor. You secure it fastidiously using carpenter’s glue or super glue, according to your fancy; then the wood dries and cannot be moved. Later you try to pry it up from the floor. You chip away at it, bit by bit, and finally, the glue gives way and the block flies off, free.

Our lives are like this, yet we represent both the wooden block and the glue. What have you immobilized in your life? How have you immobilized yourself? What do you need to chip or pry away to set yourself free?

Let me suggest a few actions to help you get unstuck. These steps are to be taken in order as a process, but just focusing on even one of them will benefit you!

Ask yourself and your closest friends where you are stuck. Take an honest assessment of your life in four quadrants – your work life, your relationships, your spirituality, and your overall health of mind, body, and spirit. Note what is not working, and brainstorm creative ways to overcome these challenges.
Close your eyes and spend some time checking in with your body. Where do you feel stuck in your body? Where do you feel tension, discomfort, or pain? Ask your body what you need to change about your lifestyle, thoughts, and habits in order to be happy and healthy. Spend some time journaling about this. Let your body speak to you through your writing.
Now close your eyes, and envision a life you would love to lead! Create a mini video in your mind about a typical day in that dream life. Notice the sequence of events in that day. Where are you working? What are you doing? Who surrounds you and how are they supporting you? What are your feelings as you live out this day in your dream life?
Finally, imagine you are rewinding the video in your mind, and you are able to see the individual steps you must take to create your dream life. As Helmut Schmidt asserts, “Whoever wants to reach a distant goal must take many small steps.” We don’t get there overnight. All the major geniuses of history survived many failures and persisted to reach their goals. Why would you be any different? Make a list of the action steps you glimpse as you rewind the video, and let this be your game plan for the year ahead.

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I believe in solutions! Spirited Solutions is here to help you make the most of your resources and to assist you in living the life of your dreams! As Alice Walker counsels, “Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” Let us help yoiu make conscious choices to create happiness and fulfillment. Let us help you find the solutions that will get you and your life un-stuck and empower your spirit!