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.