“When we are motionless, our perspective is fixed, and our focus is extremely narrow. It is hard to see or imagine our circumstance any other way and we often feel as if our hands are tied. We are trapped and incapable of finding escape.”
(From http://youronebeautifullife.com/unsticking-the-stuck/)
Have you ever felt like that?
Stuck and unable to gain any momentum in any direction, especially forward?
I have witnessed this time and time again and I have personally experienced it. We feel caught and can’t seem to think our way to a resolution or a way out of a situation.
We do not like the way we feel in the circumstance. It may be a poor-fitting job, a relationship, or something about our own body or person. We want something because of the way we feel (or think we will feel) if we have it.
So why do we stay where it doesn’t feel good?
Our thoughts keep us there.
Seriously. Have you heard your mind say some of these things?
“I don’t like this, but at least I understand it.”
“I don’t like what I am doing (or my boss, etc.), but at least I have a job.”
“I don’t know how to do anything else.”
“I don’t know where else I would go.”
“A bad relationship is better than no relationship.”
“I am afraid I won’t have any control at all.” (We have pretty much given control of our life away when we let indecision keep us where we are, though, we like to think otherwise.)
“I like part of this job, relationship, etc.”
“I am afraid of the unknown, so I just stay where I am.”
Read the list again and be an observer of your mind, rather than let your mind take you down the same old rutted road.
We secretly hope that something will suddenly change for the better without us making a single move toward anything different. My guess is we are all familiar with the expression “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” We laugh at that, but the truth is we do it ALL THE TIME.
This quote by Andre Gide is very insightful.
“People cannot discover new lands until they have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
What painful shore are you keeping your eyes on?
Until you and I are ready to pull up the anchor and cast our eyes on the far horizon with all its unknown, but glorious possibilities, the four walls closing in on us will remain exactly the same.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Just spend some time listening to the things your mind is telling you. Your mind is comfortable there in all those thoughts and it will try to convince you over and over that it is better to stay where you are, but you don’t have to agree.
Grab an oar and paddle hard toward that new land!
I’d love to help you sort through those thoughts holding you back.
I love the idea of not being able to make a change until you “lose sight of the shore”! I’ve been STUCK at several times in my life – this perspective is so valuable.
It has been true for me, too, Eileen! It is sort of like not wanting to put the ball down until there is someone to hand it to, or at least someone to pick it up. There are times you just have to put the ball down, give it a swift kick, turn and walk the other direction. Likewise, there are times to turn away from shore and paddle hard.