10 Reasons Why People Feel Stuck

People are creatures of habit and often resist change, even when it is necessary.

I can't tell you how many times I didn't do something I knew very well I should do, but did not because to do so would require "brain power" I wasn't prepared to invest.

My excuse?

I'll do it later.

Many people associate feelings of stuckness with the fear of failing if they try something new.

The funny thing is most failures lead to learning the new things needed to make the breakthroughs we want to make.

Looking bad has been an achiles heal for many would be winners.

The reason they're not?

They don't want to look bad.

Become immune to this and you have a super power advantage over most others.

The perfectionist mindset can prevent people from taking action because they feel like everything must be perfect before they can start.

I often want to know EVERYTHING I can before taking action.

Now, I try to learn just what's necessary to get me to the next step.

It's a far better process for making real progress.

When people don't have a clear reason for why they want to make a change, it's difficult to find the motivation to do so.

Maybe your "why" is a jumbled mess in your mind?

Maybe it's not totally something you've "bought into?"

Getting clear on motivations, doing things like asking why 5 times can help surface the reason needed to do something (or maybe not).

People feel stuck because they think they need to be doing something all the time in order to be productive. However, this isn't always the case and sometimes taking a break is what you need to do in order to move forward.

Tim Ferriss said "Business is a form of laziness."

I think it's related to the last thing on this list "Lack of motivation" or clear why.

Most people are busy doing nothing very important.

People are mimics, it's how we've developed.

We're good at seeing what other people are doing, buying, etc. We're basically good at copying what we can see and once our innate drive for status kicks in... we strive towards the top (or at least not stay at the bottom).

People feel stuck because they compare themselves to others and think they need to meet unattainable standards. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and prevent people from feeling satisfied.

"The comparison trap: explanation" People feel stuck because they compare themselves to others and think they need to meet unattainable standards. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and prevent people from moving forward.

People feel stuck because they do not believe in themselves.

Maybe conditioning from when they were young due to parental, peer or other outside pressure from others around you or...

Maybe they've tried and failed in the past.

Low self esteem is a real b*tch, and while it might take a lot of work to overcome, the good news is, if you're alive and well, you can do something about it.

Being aware of it (and maybe writing a top 10 list about how to over come it) is a good start.

Laziness is a thing.

People are generally moved to action when loss is on the line or when opportunity for gain with close to 100% certainty is in sight.

Everything else might just feel like too much effort or bother, otherwise.

I once saw a nat geo type show where a crocodile had planted himself in an oasis watering hole and would attack nearby animals that came to drink.

There was a drought that quickly dried up the watering hole, but the croc did not leave.

He died.

People sometimes do the same thing.

"Squirrel!"

If that quote didn't instantly conjure up the scene with the dog that has a collar that can speak it's mind from the movie "Up" then you're missing out on an awesome movie.

The point?

It's shiny object syndrome and we all suffer from it to one degree or another.

The thing is, the harder something is to do, the more focused effort it requires to achieve.

If you lack focus, it's probably because you lack discipline or are easily tempted to get off track.

This is probably one of the greatest pitfalls of the modern age, in my opinion.

What do you think?