In my last post, I asked if the work you’re doing today is getting you closer to your ideal tomorrow.
The overwhelming and consistent response:
- You don’t like where you are
- You don’t see where to go
- You don’t know how to get there
No coordinates. No map. No compass. In a word: Stuck.
That stuckness, that lack of momentum in our lives, can cause a whole host of problems. When we don’t feel in control of our own destiny, we live in fear of the unknown. We lose clarity, we lose focus, we lose self-confidence, and eventually we lose hope.
Don’t let yourself lose hope.
It reminds me of the time I got my poor car stuck in the mud. I accidentally parked on wet grass. There I am pumping the accelerator and going nowhere. My tires are spinning, mud is flying, and I’m sinking deeper and deeper.
Any smart driver will tell you that when you get stuck in the mud, you need traction. The mud is wet and now so are your tires — they have nothing to grab onto. What you need is something dry.
Force is not enough. You need friction to generate motion.
It is actually resistance, an opposing force, paired with energy that creates greater control. This counterintuitive principle of physics is so often overlooked in our own lives.
Without friction, we are out of control of our own trajectory. Things happen to us whether we like it or not.
In the tire analogy, we can increase traction by introducing a “traction device” — a floor mat, rocks, even kitty litter. Anything dry for the tire to stick to. (I used a cardboard box.)
What friction have you introduced to gain traction in your life? What are you using to move you forward?
Sometimes it’s playing with a new tool or a new technique. Maybe it’s attending an event to build new connections, or a class to build new skills. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves new questions to get at new answers. Take a new route to work. Hire a coach or join a community to gain a new perspective.
When you don’t like where you are, don’t see where you’re going, and don’t know how to get there, there is only one thing to do: just get moving.
It’s time to introduce something new.
With hope and love,
Whitney
P.S. If you’re feeling stuck in your job search, you need traction. Join us tomorrow for my FREE webinar Get Yourself Hired. Maybe that’ll do the trick.
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