We have an electric golf cart we use to get around short distances in our town.

It has a mind of its own, sometimes starting on the first try, sometimes requiring elaborate finger-crossing, rituals, etc., to lurch to life. Sometimes we just sit for a few minutes, trying to change the mojo before jiggling the key in the ignition again.

Sometimes we just get stuck.

It happens to everyone. In life, in business, in relationships.

And when it happens, you just need a strategy. Are you going to yell into the wind, start experimenting, call for help, or just sit there?

How to Start When You’re Stuck

• Change mood – Tony Robbins refers to this as “state.” When you’re stuck, you’re probably in a tired, bored, or uninspired state. Do something drastic to shift it, like wearing an evening gown to go grocery shopping, taking an ice cold shower like Julien Smith, chatting up a stranger in the grocery line. Focus your attention away from yourself.
• Change location – Sometimes your physical environment is the problem. Try a small move, like working at a different desk, or standing up while you work. If you’re really in trouble, consider moving farther (I’ve moved from one coast to the other, but I know that’s a bit extreme).
• Jiggle it a little – Stand up on your couch and dance around. Yell a little. Laugh into the mirror. Sprint down the street in front of your house and check your time. Can you get faster?
• Add water – Our golf cart requires water in the battery compartment (who knew). Add an outside element to your stuck-ness. Watch a movie that inspires you, call a close friend, play with your dog. Anything that brings outside influence into your brain.
• Get a new golf cart – Stop trying to do the thing. Do another, different thing. Just set it aside for a while and let it percolate in the background. Sometimes working on something else completely will work magic in your subconscious. Or maybe the think you’re stuck on is just not something you’re supposed to be doing right now.
• Push it for a few feet to jump start – Find the tiniest piece of accomplishment in your big dream. Just do one small five-minute particle, to get it rolling. Five minutes at a time, you can make a bit of progress, especially if you do five minutes every day for a week.
• Call someone to rescue you – Pull the fire alarm and call in reinforcements. That’s what friends are for.

Those are my ideas for getting un-stuck. What has worked for you?

 

Featured image via Flickr CC: Chris Devers