Action

How You Can Get Unstuck

startalittlefireLeave a comment

Car stuck in the mud representing inaction

 

 

 

 

Feeling stuck and unmotivated can be the worst, right?  Why does it happen, and what can we do about it?  Here are some tips on how you can get unstuck.  

Find your focus.

Often, the most difficult part of taking action is knowing where to start – if you recognise this, get clear on the end result that you’re seeking.

When we dream of winning the lottery, we don’t dream about piles of bank notes.  We dream of the home we’d live in, the holidays we’d have surrounded by friends and family having a great time, we imagine ourselves driving our dream car.

The same goes for any kind of success.  We envisage what the end product will be once we’ve achieved it.

Remembering what it is we want to gain, and how our lives could be improved, can help to keep us focused.

Accept that it might get uncomfortable.

Taking action means we want to change, and change can be hard.  When we want to move out of our comfort zone, we have to let go of what we know, and that means taking risks on the unknown or the uncertainty.

We come up against our subconscious barriers and fears.  Maybe we dread failure, or we compare ourselves to others and think we’re not doing, or being, ‘enough’.

When you feel stuck, recognise what it is exactly you feel stuck about.  Identifying what’s wrong will help you to get unstuck.  Is it the practicality of not knowing what to do, or is it more about your internal thoughts?

Be honest, and get unstuck quicker.

Inaction teaches us what we don’t want.  And maybe it’s telling us our heart isn’t really in it.

If you struggle to get going, or to keep going, ask yourself if you still want this.  Go back to your ‘why’.  Is this goal still important to you, or have your priorities changed?  Are you no longer sure that it’s worth the effort it will take, and do you need to realign or modify your goal, to fit where you are right now?

There is no shame in dropping something that no longer serves you, or changing your mind.  In fact, ploughing on with something when your heart is no longer in it, can be more harmful.  It can affect your self esteem if you’re continuing to put effort in, when you know you’re not getting the results you want.  This is a sure sign, something needs to change.

So, if you’re struggling with a particular goal and you’re feeling unmotivated, try some of these tips to get unstuck.  It will help to improve your confidence, and longer term chances of success when you deal with issues quickly, and will give you the momentum to keep going.

For more tips on self development, stay up to date with the monthly newsletter, which also contains a free downloadable resource every month.  Sign up here to receive the latest newsletter in your inbox.

Photo credit:  Aubrey Odom on Unsplash

5 Ways To Help You Take Action

startalittlefireLeave a comment

Take a leap and take action

 

 

 

 

 

Getting started and keeping going are often the hardest things to master when we’re trying to achieve something.  Here are 5 ways to help you take action towards your goals.

  1. Be realistic about how far away you are now, from where you want to be. If you need a lot of work, it’s going to take a while to get there and it won’t happen overnight. And you may well encounter problems or disappointment on the way. Prepare yourself that this will take effort but recognise that it’s worth it.
  2. Write a short, achievable to do list and work through things one at a time.   It might help  to get the most niggly one out of the way first for a bigger sense of achievement afterwards.  Reward yourself positively with time off, your favourite leisure activity or some self care.
  3. Allocate non negotiable time slots into your calendar – even if it’s just 10-15 mins a day.  It’s much easier to stay committed to smaller chunks of time rather than a one off longer session.  Make sure it’s time that you will use to focus only on this task and nothing else.
  4. Act when you feel inspired to.  And notice when you feel most inspired to act, or when you come up with ideas. If you struggle to get motivated sat at your desk, get up and do something else, go for a walk, take a shower. Ideas are more likely to come when our brains are at rest and we’re switched off.  Notice when things work for you, so when you have an important task to do, you know what you need to do first, to get in the right mood.
  5. Check in regularly to make sure that your actions are taking you in the right direction, and make any changes quickly.  Also, remember to recognise the progress you’ve made, and give yourself credit for what you have done.

Making any change is an ongoing process.

Acting on tips like this can keep you on track, and will help you to take more consistent  action.

It’s really easy to talk ourselves out of something,  or beat ourselves up if we don’t feel we’re doing enough.  If you’re doing something regularly,  then you’re doing enough.  Have faith in yourself and keep accountable, and you will get there.

Next steps

And if you’re looking to make some big changes, check out my new digital guide ‘How To Find Your Spark – The Weekend Project’ – details available here.

Photo credit:  @kidcircus via Unsplash.com

Spring – the ideal time to take action

startalittlefireLeave a comment

Green traffic light means time to take action

Spring always seems like the ideal time to take action.  With the start of a new season and the promise of warmer days on the horizon, we can start looking ahead to new ventures.

So this month’s blog theme will be ‘Spring into Action’.

Taking action seems like an obvious theme of self development and personal growth, and of course, it is. But it can also the one that causes the most difficulty.

Dreaming big, goal setting and visualising is all well and good. But without the crucial steps to take action and get started, our ambitions are futile.  And even worse, they turn into regrets of the things we valued, but didn’t pursue.

It might be the ideal time, but why is taking action so hard?

Taking action means change, and even when we know that it will be a positive or necessary change, it can still be difficult.

We get used to our comfort zone, and fear or insecurity of the unknown scares us.  And rightly so.  Fear warns us of potential danger and making a complete fool of ourselves (well, sometimes!).   So it’s good to make sure that when it’s time to take action, that it’s well planned and considered, to give it the best chance of working.

So this month, I’ll be looking at how we can take the most effective action, and how to address the things that hold us back. The questions such as ‘Am I doing enough?’, or ‘Where do I start?’ are among the most common, and can cause us to become so paralysed that we end up doing nothing.  So stayed tuned to the blog and podcast this month, if you recognise any of these blocks.

And if you’re all ready to make some big changes, make sure you’re signed up for this month’s newsletter too.  It contains a handy guide to goal planning, with a framework for setting yourself steps to achieving your goals.  Sign up to the newsletter here.

Photo credit: @eliobedsuarez via Unsplash.com