Are you feeling…
Stuck?
Feeling trapped?
Feeling there is no way out?
You might be stuck in your thoughts or in an uninspiring job or career. Your life may be on hold. You might feel that something is not letting you step forward. It may feel like a black cloud hanging over your head, following you everywhere. You are unhappy and not sure what to do.
Your mind tells you to quit your job one moment and then the next moment it tells you to stay. You apply for jobs, but you are not sure you want to move from your current one. Something is holding you in this position.
I know this feeling. I have lived it and moved past it and helped many others to go through the same process to get to a new role or new career. Let me share some tips to help you get unstuck and to get moving in your career.
Admit you are Stuck!
When you are stuck in your career, you may not realize it because you keep busy. Your tasks consume you, and you ignore warning signs of problems that may be developing. To move forward, you have to recognize there is a problem. Check in with yourself to see how your career and life are doing. This check-in allows you to see the warning signs that are keeping you from moving forward.
Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude daily will help improve your well-being and happiness. A gratitude journal helps shift your mindset by being thankful for what you have. An excellent exercise is to list five things a day for 30 days to help change your mindset. You are not allowed to repeat any gratitude written from any previous day in order to develop a complete picture of who you are and what you have. It will help you develop new habits and a positive mindset. This routine will help you get unstuck.
Figure out what you want
Getting unstuck requires clarity in your vision of what you want to be. Write out your vision of a perfect day from the moment you get up in the morning to what you are doing during the day for work to when you come home. Describe in detail your perfect day, with feelings and emotions that you would experience. Once you have an idea of the perfect day, you can fill in the gaps, whether it might be more education, volunteering, taking small steps at work to change your role, or looking into a new career. Be honest with yourself in this exercise.
Explore something different
When your job and career are stuck, it may be helpful to explore something new, such as a hobby or some other activity. I had a client who needed some creativity to get motivated and started creating chalkboard messages and selling them on different image websites. This activity allowed him to learn a new skill and to feel proud of what he was doing. This creative experience helped him become more fulfilled and gave him more clarity in his career direction.
Step out of your comfort zone
Being stuck means that you are probably not stepping out of your comfort zone. If you’re looking for a change and new adventures, you need to take small steps into places you’ve never been. It will help push you to do new things at work and to take on tasks you have never done. Challenging yourself to find new skills and experiences will help you move forward and become unstuck. You can use the same techniques at home if you need to change your life outside of work. The key is taking action and being consistent.
These are just five tips that you can use to get unstuck in your career. It is essential to take time and reflect on your life and your career at least once a month to understand how you are doing and to see any red flags showing where you need corrective work.