Feeling Stuck? Five Proven Strategies to Get Your Goals Moving Again

There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find your way out of a sea of stuckness when you've got goals to get.

You want to move forward, you just can't seem to figure out how.

You know what you need to do, you just can't make yourself do it.

Many of my clients come to work with me because of this dilemma.

Here's what I tell them: Feeling stuck is a temporary situation that needs specific strategies to move past.

The sooner you apply the strategies, the faster you'll begin moving forward again.

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, 83% of professionals say they experience feeling stuck at one point or another.

So if you are feeling stalled out in your goal journey, you are not alone.

Here's what you can do about it.

Five Strategies to Get Unstuck

#1: Pinpoint exactly what is holding you back.

Often times, we are not clear on exactly what needs to be done. This confusion will keep us spinning and stuck. Sometimes, it is perfectionism at play that causes procrastination.

For the entrepreneurs I work with, stuckness is often the primal brain's way of keeping their business from becoming a success because to do so would mean leaving the beloved Comfort Cave.

The solution: Journal. Write down anything and everything that could be getting in the way of your progress. Getting these things out of your head and onto paper can help you see what you need to deal with so you can make a plan.

#2: Identify the next best step.

Don't get caught up in feeling like you need to know the whole plan before beginning. Remember my favorite acronym: A B C (Action Brings Clarity). Once you take action, the next step will reveal itself. It always does.

The solution: Ask yourself, 'What is one thing I can do in the next 5 minutes?' then do it.

#3: Doubt your doubt.

According to the National Science Foundation, up to 80% of our thoughts are negative. 80%! Just because you hear negativity in your mind, doesn't mean it's true or that you have to listen to it.

The solution: When you hear doubt whispering in your ear, ask yourself three questions:

Is it true?

Is it helpful?

Is it supporting the direction I want to go?

If the answer is 'no', thank your doubt for it's opinion, then dismiss it.

(Want to learn how to doubt your doubt? Listen to how I do it here.)

#4: Remember your Why.

There's a reason you want to reach that goal, right? Our Why becomes our lifeboat when the goal waters get rough.

The solution: Revisit why you started. How is reaching this goal going to impact your life or others' lives?

#5: Give yourself permission to take imperfect action.

The fear of failure can be paralyzing. Decide right now that you can't 'fail.' Any time you try something that doesn't get you the results you want, you've gained valuable data that you couldn't have gotten another way.

The solution: Approach your tasks with childlike curiosity -- Ask 'What could happen if I ___?' Refuse to allow a negative reply to this question, only positive ones.

Feeling stuck does not mean you are failing. It simply means that you need to try something new.

If you'd like help with this, the Goal Getter's Club is the place to be. It will provide you with mindset support and accountability to get you moving again. Learn more here.

Jen Laffin is the founder of Jen Laffin Coaching and Goal Getter Solutions. Her proven Goal Getter Framework helps goal setters become goal getters faster and easier than going it alone. To learn more, visit www.JenLaffin.com.