How many of us feel stuck at some point in our lives? Probably most of us – possibly you right now. It’s the kind of thing you might not even notice is happening at first because it happens slowly, but after you’ve been doing the same things over and over for weeks, months, and years, you might find you’ve not moved forward in life how you wanted to. And it’s frustrating because there won’t usually be anything obviously wrong, it’s just that you’re not getting anywhere. If that sounds familiar, keep reading to find out more.
What Does Stuck Mean For You?
Before you can move forward, it’s useful to know what’s holding you back, and that’s going to be different for everyone. It might be a financial thing, perhaps emotional, maybe it’s your career, or it could just be because everything feels so uncertain. It’s hard to do anything until you know what’s got to be fixed, but once you name the problem, it becomes easier to think about next steps.
Sometimes the issue isn’t actually that you want a new life – it could be that you want a bit more progress or stability in the one you’ve got.
Focus On One Area You Can Influence
When everything feels overwhelming, trying to fix it all at once usually makes things worse. So instead, pick one area where you’ve got some control, like your routine, your environment, or the way you’re looking at a specific goal, and so on.
If you’re then able to make some small changes, but keep making them, you’ll usually get a lot further than if you try to make some massive changes that you can’t then sustain, or even get started in the first place because it’s too much to do.
Accept That Progress Can Be Small
A lot of people feel stuck because they think that progress has to be big and impressive, like some kind of big career leap, or a major move, and so on. But the reality is that you don’t need a total reset to move forward, and small things can help just as much (or even more because they’re easier to do).
You might want to look into your options, saving a small amount when you can, or it could just be about keeping future doors open for when you need them.
For example, exploring things like shared ownership can be a way to move forward without needing to jump straight into something too big, like getting a full mortgage. That way, you can have a realistic goal to work towards, and moving towards it should be easier.
Move At Your Own Pace
One of the issues that makes people feel stuck is that they’re comparing themselves to others, but that’s never a good idea, and in this situation, it’s a quick way to feel totally trapped in your own life.
The fact is, everyone moves forward differently, and the path that works for someone else might not work for you at all, and that’s fine. The point is you need to find your own way of doing things and when you do, progress should be easier.