Albert Einstein has been quoted saying, ” Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  What is Webster’s definition of insanity? Deranged or unsound state of mind, unreasonableness or something utterly foolish. Do these two definitions agree with the other? I believe they do. I’d like to add my little thought, ” repeating the same habit, routine or behavior over and over and getting the same results is obnoxious.” What does Webster say about obnoxious? archaic, something unpleasant/harmful, objectionable.

Ok, so what am I getting at?

Once again I’m referring to feeling stuck. This time though, I will share my personal story about feeling stuck.

As a general rule I am a positive person by choice. I love to see the good in situations and people (maybe to a fault), I love to help others feel inspired, motivated and confident. There’s no better way to serve than helping someone feel love and support. That said, I am normal-whatever that really means. I have moments when I feel stuck and sometimes they last too long for my liking.

When I feel stuck, it most often feels like I’ve been working hard at something new only to find that it didn’t change things a whole lot. It also feels like a new adventure came full circle but somehow missed the connection-much like a spiral going on and on. One immediate thought is as long as the spiral is spiraling outside it has somewhere to grow; if it’s spiraling inside itself it will eventually run out of room. When I continue feeling stuck I can sometimes feel unmotivated or I lose control of my direction or my next step. Everyone has a different and personal experience with feeling stuck.

Eventually I get to the point where I know I’m stuck, I sometimes know why I’m stuck and what I should do to find relief. Taking that step can be a challenge though. Why is it a challenge is a good question with a number of answers such as motivation, self-confidence, trust, belief, having the resources and a bunch more reasons or excuses. Yes, I use reasons and excuses interchangeably quite often.

As I sit and ponder what I should be doing and what my next step will be, I am at a loss. At least if I was at a crossroads or a fork in the road I could choose one and go but either my eyes are closed, the sunshine, aka the future, is so bright that it’s blinding, or I’m just not quite there yet. My options aren’t limited, only my mind is. If I open my eyes, I may see a blank canvas with freedom to use it to create or re-create my vision. If the sunshine seems too bright and blinding I only need to shade my eyes and open my heart and if I’m just not there yet, I must keep on going until I come out on top of my dreams, visions, or goals.

Great! I have solutions, which one am I supposed to choose? Open my eyes to see the canvas and let my creativity loose, shade my eyes and open my heart or just move forward a step at a time? This time I will choose all three. I will begin one step at a time in forward motion. I will be open to possibilities, I will step outside of my comfort zone and create something wildly crazy built with my ‘big picture’ in mind.

I will choose to meet myself where I’m at with self-acceptance, with self-forgiveness and fortitude.

How have you moved past the barriers that made you feel stuck? Do you have an experience you’d like to share?