Getting Unstuck: A Personal Journey
Oh my gosh, can we talk about getting unstuck for a minute? Because last Tuesday, I had one of those moments where my brain just... left the building. You know what I mean? I was sitting in this big meeting, supposed to be presenting my brilliant ideas, and suddenly I'm staring at my boss like a confused goldfish. Nothing. Nada. My mind was as blank as my nephew's homework folder!
I swear, in that moment, all I could focus on was this weird brown stain on my shirt (was it coffee? chocolate? last night's spaghetti sauce? who knows!) and the way the fluorescent lights were making this annoying buzzing sound. My colleague Michael was giving me these "please say something" eyes, and I'm just sitting there like a malfunctioning robot.
Here's what saved me though – and honestly, it's so simple it's almost embarrassing. I took the world's deepest breath. Like, the kind where everyone in the room probably thought I was about to pass out or break into song. But you know what? It worked!
"Okay," I told myself, "you're freaking out. Let's dial it back to kindergarten levels here." Step one: breathe. Step two: remember that I actually DO know things, even when my brain decides to take an impromptu vacation.
My "Just Five Minutes" Rule
So here's my trick for when life feels like you're trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded – I call it my "Just Five Minutes" rule. Seriously, just five minutes!
- Got a massive project that makes you want to hide under your desk? Cool, just spend five minutes googling one tiny thing about it.
- Feeling like your motivation packed its bags and moved to Tahiti? Fine, just open your laptop for five minutes.
- Life feeling like a giant tangled mess of Christmas lights? Perfect time for a five-minute walk to grab coffee!
The magic is that once you start, it's like pushing a shopping cart with a wonky wheel – super hard at first, but then momentum takes over and suddenly you're cruising down aisle seven wondering how you got there.
I think of it like going to the gym, except instead of biceps, we're working on our "I can handle this" muscle. And let me tell you, mine was pretty flabby at first! But every tiny step forward – even if it's just opening that scary email or making that one phone call – it counts. It ALL counts!
The truth is (and I have to remind myself this daily, usually while eating cereal for dinner because adulting is hard), showing up is literally 90% of the battle. Just showing up! Even if you show up in your pajama pants. Even if you show up with mystery stains on your shirt. Even if you show up and immediately want to leave.
Because here's the thing – progress isn't this big, dramatic movie montage with inspiring music. Nope! Progress is me, you, all of us, taking one tiny, wobbly step forward when we'd rather take fifty steps back to our couch.
You've got this. I mean it! Even when your brain goes on strike. Even when everything feels impossible. Even when you're pretty sure everyone else has their life together and you're over here googling "how to adult" at 2 AM.
Just take that breath. Take that tiny step. And remember – we're all just figuring it out as we go, one coffee-stained shirt at a time!
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