We all get stuck. We get stuck on a task we can’t get past or over-analyzing what we’re doing. We get stuck in a rut. We get stuck on getting stuck! It’s one of the most frustrating feelings to be stuck. Sometimes we know what to do but we don’t. We’re either at a loss for what to do or how to do what comes next. Sometimes we have no idea why or desire to do what we should be doing.

There are three primary reasons we get stuck.

  1. Don’t know what to do next.
  2. Don’t know how to do what’s next.
  3. Don’t know, or care, why we should do what’s next.

Let’s look at how to get past these causes for getting stuck and how we can get past them.

  1. What – When we don’t know what to do next, it’s like being a rudderless boat in the middle of the ocean. We have no control over our course, speed or destination. The simple solution is to go back to our goals and compare them to where we are now. It should be pretty obvious what the next step is. If it’s not, go back and work on your goals some more to refine them. If you don’t have goals, now’s the time to set them.
  2. How – Sometimes the task in front of us is so large, it’s not conceivable that we could tackle it. The best remedy is to break down the task into its sub tasks until you can’t break it down any farther. Now you should be able to understand them and see how you can achieve them. Then start at the beginning and work through them. Other times we simply don’t have the knowledge. We can see what needs to be done, but literally just lack the know-how or skills. If so, we can get the training, either online or in formal classes or books, or get someone else to do the task who does know how.
  3. Why – It happens when we lose our motivation and apathy sets in. It’s when we’re in the greatest danger of giving up. Not failing. Giving up. It’s OK to fail. You have to have failures in order to learn from them. Giving up teaches us nothing at all. When we lose our Why and stop caring, we can go back to our goals and see what we put down as our Why when we set them. Are they still valid and motivate us? Are the rewards still there? Or is it that the goal itself is no longer important? That happens more often than we realize. It’s OK to let go of a goal. The key is to create others to replace it or change our focus to other goals we’re keeping. If we don’t, we’re giving up. Don’t give up.

If you want to learn more about Success and achieving your goals, check out the 5 Things About Goal Setting report at Success-Maniacs.com.