Sometimes we are just stuck and cannot get unstuck.
Our head is spinning and we just cannot move forward.
We know what we are looking for but we are trying so hard to find answers that we end up empty-handed.
Have you ever lost your keys and just cannot remember where you put them? You have searched everything and everywhere and the keys just don’t turn up. What do you do? You stop looking. And then when you are doing something completely different you suddenly know exactly where the keys are!
Finding your passion is in some ways similar. The reason why we get stuck is that we are looking too hard for answers. Instead we should stop looking and do something else. The difference to the keys though is that we will not find our passions lying around somewhere, we have to experience the feeling to know that we have found them.
Passion is a very strong feeling about a thing or a topic. It is an intense emotion and compelling enthusiasm for a subject. Knowing how we feel about topics, things and experiences is the clue to finding your passion or passions.
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5 Steps to Get Unstuck
These steps can help you get unstuck when you are trying to find your passion or just to things done, now and not later.
1. Stop over-thinking. You have probably been thinking too much for too long and that hasn’t helped, so just stop right now. Just thinking about something has never created anything, get out of this only-thinking-mode.
2. Start doing some of the things that you have been thinking about doing but procrastinated on for too long. Don’t make yet another plan on what you need to do but actually get it done. Take the first step today and do something.
3. Create a deadline for yourself. Commit to another person or even better announce something publicly. Make the deadline within couple of days or weeks if needed so you are forced to get started today.
4. Share your creation with someone or even better with the public. Don’t worry about feedback at this point, the pure joy of giving and sharing should motivate you to do more and do better.
5. Celebrate your progress. Look back and recognize what you have achieved in only a few days or weeks. Make a plan how you can keep it up and repeat this process – every day and every week.
How to Stay Outside the “I-am-stuck-zone”
If you follow the 5 steps above and you have become unstuck, how do you make sure you stay unstuck? I want to suggest that you do something totally different than thinking about your passion, your business or all the things you need to do.
- Do something you enjoy doing – the very first thing that enters your mind right now. Pick something you can do today. It doesn’t have to be anything productive or business-related, just something that makes you happy and distracts you away from your stuck-in-thoughts.
- Meet people – talk about anything and everything. Don’t focus on your own issues, listen to what others have to say, listen to their stories and their issues. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with so make sure the people you meet up with are the right people for you right now.
- Read books, fiction and non-fiction. Get lost in imaginary worlds and learn new ways on how to do business. Let yourself be inspired. The more books you read the bigger your horizon gets and the more ideas you will get. With more ideas you can do more, you can give more and you can share more.
How to Find Your Passion and Purpose
Have you read the Alchemist? It is the world’s most sold book, it has been sold in over 150 million copies and translated into 65 languages. So if you haven’t read it, here is the short summary from Wikipedia: “An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago in his journey to Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding treasure there. ”
(Spoiler-Alert!) The book is essentially about finding your purpose and passion. The young shepherd travels far away to look for a treasure but actually ends up finding it in his own backyard. Are you looking too far to find your passion? Are you hoping it will appear one day? Do you think your own thoughts will give you the answer? You have to look closer to find it.