5 Simple Strategies To Overcome Inertia Now

Have the words “Are you stuck?” really appeared multiple times in the subject line of my email over the past month, or does that just describe what I‘ve been feeling lately? Maybe it’s similar to noticing Ford Transit Connects driving around when I was considering a new ride. Awareness attracts.

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You see, I have a handful of virtual mentors out there on the web, from Michael HyattMarie Forleo, and Mama Gena, to Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra, and Jack Canfield. I’ve found considerable value in the writing and work of these big-hearted creatives. The knowledge and experience they share with their audiences has opened my eyes to new perspectives and new practices.

While I learn different things from different people, it seems recently that they have all touched on the experience of getting stuck. Apparently I wasn’t alone.

Getting stuck happens to everyone, whether it’s in relationships at home or at work or in something we’re doing or not doing. Like life itself, we can’t control what comes our way, but we can control how we respond to it.

Getting unstuck means overcoming inertia. Oh, the dreaded inertia! And the thing is, the longer I don’t take action, the harder it becomes to get going. Must. Get. Moving.

Here are Five Simple Strategies for Getting Unstuck:

1. Recognition
The sooner I realize that I am feeling stuck, the better. Letting myself get overwhelmed, I have found, is the fast track to going nowhere. So I am saying “yes to less.” It gives me more space in my day and time in my calendar, and, as a result, everything is more enjoyable. Even daily chores. Now how cool is that?

2. Ritual
Thanks to Oprah and Deepak, my day now starts with a guided meditation. This is built-in time to reflect, renew, and recharge. There are many themes in this series, yet it is not coincidence that the topic this summer was “Getting Unstuck: Creating a Limitless Life.” I have loved every moment. It’s not free and worth every penny.

3. Forgiveness
Forgive who? Well, me for starters. I embrace my humanness by forgiving myself for getting stuck in the first place, and I forgive everyone else while I’m at it!

Oprah said one day in the meditation series, “Do I want to be right? or Do I want peace?” Peace and happiness go hand in hand in my book, and they often start with forgiveness. Forgiveness loosens the glue that holds me stuck in place.

4. Honesty
One of my favorite books of all time is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The first agreement is “Be impeccable with your word.”  That ‘s been a game changer in my world. I never realized all the ways I was breaking this agreement with myself and others.

Being honest about the current state of my own affairs is critical to changing them. The most important person to be impeccable with my word is the person in the mirror.

5. Focus.
Getting unstuck and out from under being overwhelmed invariably requires accomplishing some formidable task. Writing. Deep thinking. Knowledge work. Isn’t there an app for that?

Michael Hyatt introduced me to a great new tool called Focus@Will, scientifically optimized music to increase your focus and stop your mind from wandering. It’s like Pandora music for the focused mind. And, depending on the track I choose, it helps calm, center, and inspire me.

I love to listen to music, but lyrics, ads, and words can be enough of a distraction that I don’t even bother. Now I can treat myself to a focused work session with music to keep me on track. Music makes my heart feel lighter and everything a little easier.

I’m happy to report that I’m unstuck and on my way to on fire. It helps me to remember that getting stuck happens to all of us. I use these five strategies to get me moving again.

What works for you? Any of these strategies on your short list or do you have others that we should know about. Please don’t be shy, we would love to know

Today and everyday, it’s a great life, simplified.

Bettina Blanchard

About Bettina Blanchard

It’s not what we have, it’s what we do that makes life fun. Professional organizer, business owner, radio show host, accordion player, I love to live and write about finding the balance between having and doing.