The Consequence of Doing Nothing

One of the reasons some of my clients come to coaching is that they have been unable to make a decision or move forward in certain areas of their life. As a result, they end up doing nothing - sometimes for weeks, months or even years. And by continuing to "do nothing", they become "stuck".

Whether the situation is related to their career, their finances, their relationships or their own personal goals, being stuck is like running on a treadmill. After a while, it becomes exhausting, but you haven't gone anywhere.

One of the interesting things I've come to realize is that most of the people who are stuck know exactly what to do to get unstuck, but for whatever reason (fear!) they fail to act and resolve the issue once and for all and move forward. This is evident by people who tell you want they need to do to deal with the situation and then follow it up with the word "but".

For example:

I really need to stop spending so much money, but...
I need to have a conversation with my boss about my salary, but...
I need to talk to my husband/wife about money, but...
I want to go back to school and get my degree, but...
I need to stop letting my mother run my life, but...
I need to fire one of my employees, but...
I need to find a mentor for my business, but...

How many examples can you come up with in your life?

For those of you that may be stuck in certain areas of your life, I've come up with a simple exercise to help you identify where you are stuck and how to move forward. It's five simple questions, however, it's only by doing all the steps that you'll actually be able to jump off the treadmill and move forward!

Getting Unstuck Exercise

1. What situations have I been talking about over and over again in the past 1-2 years and have yet to do anything about? (List no more than 3)

2. What can I do to resolve each of these situations once and for all? (Be specific)

3. What prevents me for doing this? (Be honest)

4. How will I feel once this is resolved? (Write it down and read out loud)

5. When will I DO the answers in #2?

Be committed to get unstuck!