The 4 Types Of Stuck

No matter how high-performing or high-achieving you are, everyone goes through phases of life where they’ve lost momentum, progress stalls, and no matter how hard they try they just can’t move the needle. 

In other words, everyone gets stuck.

Having worked with hundreds people at this point, I’ve found there are reliable patterns that explain what’s getting in the way. In particular there are 4 types of ‘stuck’ that keep people frustrated, disappointed, and discouraged as they try to improve their life. And not only that, but they come up in a specific order where at each step, you get closer to breaking through.

The first type of ‘stuck’ is you don’t know what you want. It’s hard to make progress on anything if you aren’t clear on what it’s all for. You’re going to keep feeling misaligned if you don’t have a definite direction established. This shows up as feeling lost, aimless, and unexcited about doing the work.

The second type of ‘stuck’ is you don’t know what to do next, or what to take action on. There are a lot of ways to make things happen, and lacking a clear strategy makes it that much harder to execute. Often just taking one action step in the right direction is a catalyst for more, but you still need to know what that first step is. This shows up as feeling overwhelmed, indecisive, out of ideas.

The third type of ‘stuck’ is not knowing how to do something. Let’s say you've determined what action to take… If you don’t have the know-how or ability to do it, you won’t follow through on it. This is an education and skill gap, and until you bridge it, you’re going to be motionless. It shows up as fear, self-doubt, and self-deprecating thoughts as you muster up the courage to make an attempt without looking stupid.

The fourth and final type of ‘stuck’ is you don’t feel like doing it. You know what you want, you know what to do next, you know how to do it… Now it’s just a matter of following through on it. But something is still getting in the way - you’re not feeling motivated or enthusiastic about your path forward, which is keeping you caught in a web of inaction.

Your breakthrough is on the other side of overcoming these versions of being 'stuck'. Each one you overcome brings you closer to breaking yourself out of your rut and kickstarting momentum. It first involves doing the strategic work upfront to create an action plan you believe in, and then executing it.

And if you’re feeling stuck right now, start from the beginning and work through each layer. Slowly but surely you’ll climb your way out and get back to firing on all cylinders, just like the world needs you to be! 

Or, if you already know what you want and it’s to hold yourself to a higher standard and maximize your potential, I can show you what you need to do next and how to do it. That’s what the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge is all about, and if you want to go from feeling stuck to feeling unstoppable, I encourage you to give it a try!