It happened about ten seconds after it came out of my mouth. I wish I could have grabbed the words that I had spoken and return them from whence they came. But it was too late. In front of a group of my peers I admitted, “I feel stuck.” I’ve been leading in some capacity for over 30 years yet I still felt it. Stuck. It’s a terrible feeling, and you’ve probably felt it too.
Whether you’re a small business owner, corporate executive, stay at home mom, or teacher, all of us from time to time . . . . maybe more often than not . . . Feel stuck! The good news for me is this — now that the words are out there, there’s no taking them back. And I am left to face the reality that I don’t like feeling this way, and I have to do something.
Here’s the truth . . . I’m stuck because I think someone else has the power. Notice I didn’t someone else HAS the power. I said I THINK someone else has the power. But I doubt that they really do.
Maybe it’s true. Maybe someone else does have the power. They may have the power to decide whether or not we implement the changes that I think need to happen. Your two year old may have the power to determine when the rest of the family goes to bed and wakes up every day. Maybe someone else in the company has the power over your budget. The reality is, you have power over something . . . rather someone. And that someone is — YOU!
The reality is, you have power over something . . . rather someone. And that someone is — YOU!
You have the power to determine to do something. Anything. I know. I get it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed because there is so much to do to be exactly where you want to be. Me too. And the problem is . . . You can’t get there today or tomorrow. Or next week. Maybe not even this year. But you can do something today. Anything.
So what can you do? What do you have the power to do? Maybe that’s send an email stating your case. Maybe it’s writing down everything that needs to be done and start with the first thing on the list. Maybe it’s meeting with someone. Maybe it’s trading babysitting with another parent of a toddler so you can rest a bit. Maybe it’s breakfast with someone that knows more about “it” than you do. Whatever it is, make a decision and do something. Today. Right now. Immediately.
So true confession time. Part of my “stuckness” comes from the nagging feeling that I know I should be writing. And I haven’t been. So today I did. And today I don’t haven’t the same excuse that I had yesterday. I have the power over what I choose today. Making that choice is the beginning of freedom. Choosing to use the power you’ve been given. Choosing to be free from feeling stuck.
