How to Break Free When You Feel Stuck
Feeling stuck isn’t permanent. Discover how to break free from overwhelm, fear, and frustration, and, finally, start creating the momentum you need to move forward.
Do you have so many ideas in your head that you find excuses not to move forward with every one of them? Or, you may be stuck making a decision because you are worried about not making the right one. I know those feelings: the indecisiveness, the fear of losing money, the fear of quitting yet again, and the worry about what other people may think.
That was me, and to be honest, I still struggle at times with it. But I've gotten better at recognizing it. Recognizing when I put the fear of failing before the success of taking the first step. Of failing forward and acknowledging that I am failing if I'm not moving. I had to ask myself the hard question - Do I choose to stay stuck, or do I decide to break free and boldly move forward no matter the outcome?
I realized that being stuck usually comes down to these three things:
We are overwhelmed because we have too many choices. Maybe you want to start a business, or it could be as simple as remodeling your kitchen. After some research on what it will take to get it accomplished, you have a list of things that it will take to get there, and it exhausts you to just think about it.
We fear failure or have self-doubt. Cough, cough, me, I raise my hand. This was me. This is the part I still struggle with. I think we all do. Those questions, "Will I be good enough? Do I have time to do what it's going to take? What if I fail?" and on and on.
We get frustrated when we don't see progress. Now, hear me out. Let's say you started, and you are on cloud 9. You have the momentum and drive to move forward. You take the steps required, but by day 4-14, you don't see progress, and your momentum starts to ask yourself why you are doing this. Why are we wasting our time with this? It can be a creepy little monster if it's not "fed" properly.
We've all been stuck in one of these three areas at one time or another, whether it's in our relationships, our careers, or our own seasons of growth. But the good news is you don't have to stay stuck any longer. It's time to break free from the shackles that keep us stuck and boldly move forward.
So, how do we do that? With 3 Practical Steps:
1. Recognize what is holding you back.
I am a notorious list-taker. When I was in Corporate America, I was infamous for sticky notes. Lists of things I needed to do, things I didn't want to forget, coworkers' extensions, etc. Name it and I'm pretty sure I had a list for it. When I left corporate to be a stay-at-home mom, the lists followed me, and the same went for when I became a business owner, even up to this day. But here is the point I want to make. When I felt stuck, it wasn't just about the lists but about what those lists represented - my fear of failing and perfectionism. I had to dig deeper and ask: What's really holding me back? Is it fear, overthinking, perfectionism, or something else?
2. Take One Bold Step
I began to recognize that I was basing my worth on those lists; instead, I should have celebrated the wins. The things that were crossed off. The steps I took to move forward whether they were perfect. I learned that it doesn't have to be perfect; it just needs to be forward. A step could be making that phone call, sending that email, or taking 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to be still. Whatever that is for you. The goal is to move forward no matter how small the step is.
3. Focus on Progress, not Perfection
Remember I told you that momentum could be a creepy little monster when not "fed" properly? Do you want to know how to feed it? Keep moving! Momentum builds when you keep moving forward, whether big or small. Think of it like feeding a fire: even a tiny spark can ignite something powerful if you keep adding to it. When you take giant leaps and small steps, you feed it with every forward step. You celebrate the wins and move forward from the losses. Momentum grows from progress, not perfection. Perfection keeps us stuck. Perfection says don't leave me until everything is just perfect.
You don't have to stay stuck. Every day, you can choose to begin to take one step forward, no matter how big or small. The celebration is that you did.
I close with this, I couldn't move myself from this way of thinking until my mind wrapped around Proverbs 3:5-6:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths".
In my own life, I have faced some difficult situations, and I have had to learn that I need to break free from my need to find the answer or solutions and trust the God who knows me and created me. I've learned to say, "I don't know what you're doing, but I trust You".
Are You Ready to Take the Next Step?
Are you ready to break free and start moving forward? Leave a comment with one bold step you're taking today—I'd love to celebrate with you!
If this resonates with you, don’t stop here. In my paid subscriber guide, “The Stuck Spectrum,” I break down 4 unique ways people feel stuck—whether you’re overwhelmed, struggling to focus, seeking your purpose, or losing momentum, and provide tailored solutions for each one.
You’ll gain actionable tools, and strategies to help you:
Simplify and prioritize when you’re overwhelmed.
Stay focused and consistent, even if distractions creep in.
Uncover your “thing” if you’re searching for purpose.
Sustain momentum when progress feels slow.
Don’t just read about breaking free—take the steps to make it happen.
Subscribe now to unlock your next move forward!