Stuck

Have you ever been stuck? I am not talking about being stuck in a ditch or at an airport. I am talking about being stuck in what to do next...how to proceed with a project or a vision. I have been stuck for a little bit. I have been asking myself, "How can I take this to the next level?"

I have been racking my brain with questions, attempting to figure it out. Questions like: Why am I stuck? (which was not helpful); How can I get unstuck? (that didn't help either); When am I gonna get unstuck? (even worse yet...made it more painful); Who can help me get unstuck? (I couldn't think of anyone.)

Then it happened... and now I am unstuck.

How did this happen? When did this happen? Who helped me get unstuck? Here are my answers; they might just help you.

1. I needed the time to think through why I was stuck. This required some time away from the every day routine and busyness of life. I needed time to gather information, talk to others, and think through the stuckness.
2. I needed to remember key factors that played into my stuckness. My usual surroundings and routine weren't providing solutions. I reflected on my passions, gifts and abilities. I surveyed how I was using them, and the ways that I was not. Others shaped and affirmed my thinking through general conversations, without even knowing that they where helping me move forward.
3. I began to dream again. It is sometimes hard to dream when you are too busy and the next thing is on top of you. To sit and plan...to prepare and work at something that "could be"...is refreshing. 
4. Beginning the process of what-is-next takes a first step. For me, it required others to dream with. I realized a long time ago that "we" can do more. Taking the first step has already begun with an action plan, and with a goal (vision) in mind.

Are you stuck? If so, you may find a starting point to becoming unstuck by looking over these four steps. 

Parody Of Our Modern Church Service .....Too Funny

Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It

I read a lot...I mean a lot. I try not to read only books about church stuff and theology. If you have ever noticed my Shelfari bookshelf, you'll see that I am all over the map with my interests. Most of the time, a book will capture my interest in the first three or four chapters, but by the time chapter five rolls around, I'm ready to put it down.

I recently have been reading a book that a friend recommended (thanks Stephen). It is entitled The Power of Habit. It is subtitled "Why We Do What We Do and How to Change It". I have not been able to put this book down. I find myself wanting to get back to the next page each time I put the silly thing down. It has amazing stories interwoven into the premious of the book. The stories are the cords that pull the book together neatly and logically.

I am not going to tell you the details of  book, nor am I going to give a review. I would simply say that this book is for those who have bad habits or habitually find themselves in the same place they don't like over and over again. I continually hear people say, "I don't like my... body, job, school, relationships, church, husband, wife, life, kids, spiritual journey..."

If you find yourself on the crazy wheel time and time again, you may want check this book out.