9 Reasons Why You’re Stuck – Part 1

One thing we all have in common is that feeling stuck doesn’t feel good…personally or professionally.

It’s like knowing you need to make a move, but you’re trapped in quick sand or frozen in a block of ice.  You can see where you want go, but your body won’t move.

It can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but at some point someone had to take the first step and start the project, right?

I spend a lot of time with my clients helping them identify their strengths and weaknesses…also known as areas of improvement or opportunities for growth.

Introspection and self-awareness are critical when it comes to career success, but then what?  What do you do with all that information, assessment results, and self-analysis?

The next step is ACTION!

It’s cliché, but true…the definition of insanity is when you do the same thing over and over and expect different results.  If you want different results, you need to do things differently.

But why is it so hard to take action?

Here are the first 3 of 9 Reasons Why You’re Stuck…and I’m going to use my own experience with social media to help illustrate each reason why I’ve been stuck too!

I have known for a long time that in order to build my business and expand my reach, I would have to embrace some social media strategies at some point.  I have openly admitted that I’m a huge technophobe.  I don’t like technology, I don’t understand technology, and I resist technology with every fiber of my being.  No wonder I’ve been stuck, right?

1) In Deep Denial and Delusional

I’ve been in deep denial and completely delusional for a long time.  I downplayed how critical social media is to marketing and messaging, and convinced myself that social media was nothing more than a passing fad.  Why learn something that’ll be gone tomorrow?  I totally denied the staying power of staying connected online.

I was delusional when I thought that I would master technology and social media by osmosis. I would just wake up one morning and miraculously have been transformed into Bill Gates.  Everything was going to magically click and my social media phobias were going to be a thing of the past.  Poof!

It’s really easy to stay stuck when you’re in denial and totally delusional.

2) Super-Comfortable in the Comfort Zone

I love the comfort zone as much as the next person.  The comfort zone is a safe place and a known commodity.  We stay stuck in the comfort zone because that’s where we feel the most confident and secure.

There are many parts of my business processes that I’ve been doing the same way for years.  They typically represent my greatest strengths: one-on-one personalized coaching sessions, in-person public speaking, and face-to-face networking.  None of those activities involved social media and I was doing just fine.

Staying stuck in the comfort zone is all about avoiding fears and insecurities.  If you don’t try something new, then you don’t have to face potential failure.

3) Lack of a Plan

Sometimes we’re stuck because we simply don’t know the next steps to take.  We can see the finish line, but can’t imagine how to get there.  We can also get so overwhelmed by making the wrong move, that we end up making no move at all.

Once I acknowledged that social media was here to stay and Bill Gates’ brain was not going to pop into my head, I found myself completely paralyzed because I didn’t know how to get started.  I was stuck at the starting gate and couldn’t move until I had a plan.

I realized I could start moving forward one little baby step at a time with the help of an easy roadmap.

Starting to feel a little hopeful about getting unstuck?  Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 and learn all the reasons why you’re stuck.