Start where you are. Use what you already have. I began this blog trying to practice what I preach. I printed the page I’d written on the topic years ago. I scratched some sentences and I searched for my own story of being stuck.
I struggled to see where I might be stuck in my life. I like to think of myself as always moving onward, if not forward. Setting and reaching goals are strong suits for me, and I have a reasonably solid record of assorted sweet achievements to show for. But was I stuck now?
I made the question a point of reflection for a morning meditation. Nothing. I pondered possibilities on a late afternoon walk. Zip. I tried one angle for an hour and decided to ditch the entire idea. Inertia settled in with hopelessness snuggling in beside it.
A few days pass. Still frustrated, I move my laptop to the kitchen table, taking my multiple weary drafts with me. Perhaps a view of the blue sky out the big window to the west will lend a new perspective. I procrastinate by trimming stems on the roses my husband sent last week. I cut the tip of the wick on the cherry blossom candle and light it.
The light came on.
All my training, teaching, and experience with taking small steps didn’t spare me from my blind spot. How many times and for just how long have I stayed stuck because I couldn’t see that I was? I’ve been stuck in relationships, in roles, and in wrong ways of thinking. Here I was again.
So here it is. Not great. A rougher draft than I’d like, but a starting point a little further along than when I started. I’ll know where to begin the next time I’m willing to tell the truth about where I am, what I have, and where I want to go.
Here’s to onward and forward.
Coach Koenig
How do you recognize where you are stuck?
Might a change of scenery be helpful?
What next small step will you take?
