“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” –Albert Einstein
Do you feel stuck? Would you like to make a change but feel trapped? Feeling this way is a natural & normal part of life, but it can wither our spirit and sap our energy and vitality. The key to breaking free and moving forward is simple: don’t wait for the change, create it.
If you feel trapped in a relationship, a job, a situation or a habit, know this: you can break free and you can start right now. This article will show you how.
We often feel stuck because we believe that something has power over us, something is keeping us down. For 14 years, I was heavily addicted to smoking. I felt controlled by cigarettes and I hated it! And I couldn’t break free because I felt it was too difficult or was constantly waiting for a better environment in which to make the change.
As I became increasingly frustrated and eager to free myself from this filthy habit, I began to look more carefully at those who are able to free themselves from what was holding them back. I noticed a pattern: they made a decision to create change, they took action and persisted until they succeeded.
I realized that by simply hoping or wishing for a change it seldom comes. Yet when we take repeated action, even small steps, change becomes inevitable. To become free from what is holding you back, it is only necessary to take the next step. Just take the next step. And that is what I did until I finally broke free.
If you feel stuck, it means you are in need of change.
If you feel stuck, it means you are in need of change. Life is characterized by change and we need change to thrive and grow. The purpose of life is growth; the advancement and unfolding of life. Remember, growth can only come about through change.
Feeling stuck is the result of routine and settling into a habit. I was previously in a destructive relationship and I knew I had to get out of it, but I allowed myself to continue on for years. I was stuck in it because 1) it seemed to be more painful to make the change than to remain where I was and 2) because I felt I did not have the power to create the change.
So what is the solution? How do we get unstuck?
We get unstuck by demonstrating to ourselves the power we have to make a change. We should show our brain that it will be easier and less painful to make the change than to continue as things are. Below are some simple exercises which will help you do just that.
When I was battling to break free from smoking and my negative relationship, these exercises gave me enormous strength, confidence and certainty that I could make that change. Suddenly, creating the change seemed easier and I became excited at the adventure ahead. This mental shift came quickly, and positive change followed just as rapidly.
Right now, making the change may seem overwhelming, but with these exercises, what once seemed difficult will diminish and fall away to the strength of your will. You shall realize that you are the master of your destiny and that your fate is in your hands.
These exercises transformed my life and led to me the lifestyle that I dreamed of. They greatly enhanced the joy and beauty of my life. And they will do the same for you when you choose to apply and persist in them.
Exercises to Get Unstuck and Break Free
Exercise 1: Take a cold shower. I know you probably don’t feel like it. Though, getting unstuck is all about taking the reins of your own life, taking your rightful place at the throne of your mind. You can do this because all it takes is a decision to do it. And you certainly have that power.
Exercise 2: Sit completely still without moving for 10 minutes. No physical movement at all, but your thoughts may roam free.
Exercise 3: Write or type out what you must change and why. Write out all of the pain and sufferings that you will have if you don’t change. Then, write out all of the joy and excitement you will experience once you have made the change.
Exercise 4: Sit in a quiet, dark place where you can be undisturbed. Close your eyes. Feel how it feels to be stuck. Really allow yourself to feel the pain and frustration of where you are now. Do not fear the pain, because it will motivate you to break free from it. Then imagine yourself a year from now, if you continue on the way you are if you never make the change. Imagine how you would feel. How would you explain yourself to others? What would you miss out on in life?
Then imagine yourself five years in the future, still stuck, still never making the change. Really allow yourself to feel how it feels. See yourself in the mirror, how do you look?
Then do the same for ten years and twenty-five years from now. Each time drags with you all the extra pain and suffering you experienced, simply because you never took the action to break free.
Last, imagine yourself on your deathbed, with your loved ones surrounding you. You never broke free, you never made the change and now your life is over. Now, you must apologize to yourself and those you love. How does it feel like to have lived your life this way?
Take a moment to you really feel this, then stand up, shake yourself off and cast aside these images and feelings for now.
Next, sit again with your eyes closed and relax. Now, imagine yourself a year from now having broken free from what was holding you back. The habit, the destructive relationship, the unfulfilling job or lifestyle has become a thing of the past. You took action and got yourself unstuck. You persisted and didn’t give up and now you reap the rewards. Feel how it feels to be free, to have moved onwards and upwards to a more vibrant and exhilarating life. Really allow yourself to feel it, make it real in your mind.
Then, do the same thing for five years in the future. How do you feel? How do you look? Do you carry yourself differently? What can you now do that you couldn’t before?
Next, do the same for ten and twenty-five years from now, carrying with you all the extra joy and excitement that you experience. Finally, see yourself at the end of your life and look back on your life and compare it to how it would have been had you never made the change, if you never took the action to break free.
Now, come back to the present moment and realize that, right now, you have a choice. There are two paths before you, which future do you want? Make the choice, take action and don’t look back.