Welcome to another Weekly Spark with Yes&. Last week, we talked about how to achieve your most ambitious goals without stress or burnout, but what happens when you're on the pursuit of those goals & you lose the inspiration & the motivation that ignited those goals in the first place? Today I am sharing:
Four tips to get unstuck when you're feeling uninspired
So, you can take action now & experience that life you dream of to follow along with these tips. Download your free PDF heading to yesandbymarin.com/blog. As your first action step to get unstuck, give this video a like.
Download Your 4 Tips Below!
Scroll to the bottom of this page to watch the video, or simply read the transcript below (edited slightly for clarity).
Today, we are walking toward that big picture goal with four tricks to get unstuck when you're feeling uninspired. So, you can take action now & make those dreams your reality. Jumping right in…
How to Get Unstuck in Life Tip #1 Don’t do what you are supposed to do
Oftentimes when we're feeling stuck, it's because we have this pressure on ourselves that we have to do something specific & we're so tunnel visioned on that one thing, even though we don't want to do it, or maybe it's not even the right time, we think that we are not motivated or inspired to do anything, when a truer statement would be that we're not inspired or motivated to do that specific thing.
Give yourself permission to do what you want to do right now. That starts with the question, what do I want to do? Ask yourself that question sincerely & honestly, & listen to the response without judgment, rather than creating these stories about what would or wouldn't be productive. What the right thing is to do right now, because of the time of day or the day of the week? Just ask yourself that question & let whatever comes to the surface be the right answer. & then do it.
Get unstuck by doing the thing you want to do.
Now you may be thinking, but Marin, I want to watch Netflix right now. That's the thing that I want to do. I'm encouraging you to do that. Watch Netflix. But ask yourself sincerely & if the answer to your question is that you really want to watch the next episode of your favorite show right now, then watch the next episode of your favorite show. The trick is at the end of that episode, rather than automatically play the episode to follow…pause, if only for a moment, & ask yourself the question again. In the new moment, what do I genuinely want to do?
Sometimes that is watching another episode. Sometimes we have days, we all have days where we just want to lounge & that is truly genuinely what we want to do in my experience. However, that doesn't last forever & that's something that a lot of us fear, that if we let ourselves do what we want to do, then we're never going to do the things we have to do, or the things we should do. Truth is, as humans, we like to do things - we like to be productive. We like to create things. & so, it’s not in our natural instinct to watch Netflix for forever. There's probably a part of us (if only it's a little part)that wants to do something differently at some point. & that's the part we want to illuminate & give voice to. What do I genuinely want to do right now? What would feel good? …& then follow that.
Tip number two for getting unstuck when you're feeling uninspired:
How to Get Unstuck in Life Tip #2 Say yes
Say yes if you’re up for challenges, I like to add them into my life every now & then. Challenge yourself to a full day or even a full hour of saying YES & whatever comes in front of you, say yes to it. If your partner asks that you're the one that runs errands today, say yes. If your mom calls & she wants to go get coffee, say yes. If someone asks you to be their business partner, say yes.
Challenge yourself to say yes to whatever is in front of you & let the inspiration come from somewhere outside of yourself. Look around you & see what possibilities, what opportunities are here just waiting for you to say yes & show up. A slight caveat that may or may not be necessary is, of course, to keep your well-being & safety at top of mind. So, don't put yourself in a dangerous situation or if you get that gut instinct that says something isn't right, of course don't say yes to that.
The point is that sometimes we are hindering our own opportunities simply because we're scared or we have some pre-determined plan that these opportunities that come up for us don't fit nicely into our plan - so for a day, for an hour, for 10 minutes, say yes to whatever comes up for you.
What I love about this, is this really great blend between intention & action. Maybe you've taken my quiz before. If not, it's linked below of whether you are intention oriented or action oriented. I find that my clients are either one or the other. If you’re intention oriented you are looking for the inspiration & maybe even experiencing the inspiration. Action, the follow through, doesn't happen. If you're action oriented, you have the rulebook, you have the plan in front of you & you are implementing all day long, but the intention piece is missing. So sometimes you're implementing something that doesn't even matter, or you don't even want to go after the thing that you were implementing. The second tip allows both individuals to get outside of their comfort zone. So, for the intention oriented folks, you're getting out of your comfort zone by taking action & doing something really without much thought or without a lot of pre-planning. & if you're action oriented, you're still taking action, but in a way that isn't following that rulebook.
Speaking of rule books:
How to Get Unstuck in Life Tip #3 Create a “could do” list
Rather than a to do list, or the rules of what you have to do that day that can sometimes start to feel constraining & strict, I invite you to create a could do list. This alone is getting you unstuck just by getting what is on your mind out on paper, it also helps to ease any of the fears or worries that sometimes hinder us from taking action. In fact, those fears & worries, those gremlins as I like to call them, maybe those are the things that are keeping you stuck, because they're all these stories about why you can't or why you shouldn't or what might go wrong.
By creating a could do list, you're not anchored to any one of those bullet points. It's simply a list of things you coulddo when we let ourselves brainstorm with this openness & with this ease, it creates ideas that you wouldn't have otherwise come up with & can also get us out of that headspace of having to do something which sometimes (myself included) we rebel against.
Oftentimes, if I'm mid workday & I'm not inspired, or I'm losing motivation, I take a step back from my calendar & I look at all the tasks that I have for the entire week. I say “What would I be willing to do right now?” Essentially, it's turning my calendar into a could do list. Almost always, if I'm feeling stuck, if I step back & say, “Would I be willing to do something?” The answer is yes. So, tip three is to write the could do list & to start you off & get us all a little inspired - comment below. What could you do today?
& our last tip of the day for how to get unstuck when you're feeling uninspired so you can take action now & start experiencing that true fulfillment you dream of, is:
How to Get Unstuck in Life Tip #4 Stop waiting for inspiration
I know they're sweet. I know those “aha” moments feel amazing. My clients often say those are some of the favorite parts of our coaching together. However, the beauty of aha moments is that they're often spontaneous, something clicks together that we didn't see before, that we couldn't have anticipated - we can't will that into existence. & so, tip number four is to lower the bar a little bit.
Let yourself just see the things that you're naturally curious about or intrigued about, or a shiny object that catches your attention today & let that be your inspiration & your motivation to get going. It doesn't mean you can't enjoy the aha moments & the big moments of inspiration that come your way - those are bound to come as well.
Until they arrive, follow your curiosity, follow the little things that excite you & that grab your attention. & let that be enough.
Stay tuned every Tuesday at 5pm. Next week, we are coming back to this idea of getting unstuck, but we are addressing it through journaling: how to journal every day to get unstuck & foster a flow - that sweet experience between skill & challenge. I'll see you then.
Hello, there! My name is Marin Laukka. As a coach, author, & speaker, I empower you to break free from false expectations & limiting beliefs about what “should” be so you can own your potential, unapologetically make your positive impact, & experience true fulfillment.
I have a Master’s degree in Positive Developmental Psychology & certifications in life coaching & yoga. Today, I am grateful to experience my dream career & life - which includes dancing & Aatto, my expansive relationship & a thriving business. YOU are capable of achieving authentic success, too, & it is my honor to be your guide.
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Give yourself the gift of clarity, decision & support by reading Ready Enough.
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