By Joan Courtney, C.Ht.

Unstuck Living

Consider: A new way of eating. Buying a new jacket. A decision to cut back: on what money goes out, frittering time on Facebook, less attention to naysayers. On to: A decision to be more positive. A new direction for the business. And I start by saying to myself, “Okay. Today, the balloon goes up.” And off I go. Or is it really that simple?

For me, I need to gear up. Get unstuck. Align my energy. Check out my negative self talk and quiet it to a dull roar. You know chit chat, the words that whisper, “Will this be successful?” “Can I do this?” “What if it fails?” “Learning Zoom is hard. Maybe…” I figure those thoughts might be there somewhere, but they don’t need to be front and center. So I set aside a specific amount of time. And start.

Ah, the start. Resistance creeps in. I’m hungry. (That one always pops up.) Maybe an apple. I should make some tea. Sort my sock drawer. Text a friend. A muffin would be better. The temptations I can create can be overwhelming. Amazing I accomplish anything at all. My mind idles in place. And I feel stuck.

Then I remember Brene Brown saying, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” I can choose to be open, for the first start will always feel wrong. No matter what I do. Or how much I prepare. Or how hard I push. It will always need to be reshaped. Refined. And I have learned that’s a part of creating.

But how to move past resistance? 

Here are some ideas to get going:

• Take stock of what’s going on. Doing something that’s keeping you stuck? Or perhaps the situation is not in your control. Or maybe you need patience to let it work itself out. Step back and take in the big picture. Then move on it.

• Check self talk. Is what you’re saying to yourself overwhelmingly negative? Did someone tell you, 

“You can’t do this. It’ll never be good enough.” 

Thank those thoughts for sharing and send them 

on their way.

• Accept that you’ll have bad beginnings…and move on. So you gave it your all for a new position. But were rejected. That doesn’t mean you’re a loser. It means that job wasn’t a good fit. Back to the drawing board and continue the search for the right position. You’re the CEO of your life.

What’s the smallest step you can take to get where you want to be? Do that today. Congratulate yourself on that mini success. Then immediately figure out what the next step will be. I did that when I began walking. I was so out of shape; it took me an hour (that’s right, 60 minutes) to walk up and down a nearby hill. Rather than being discouraged, that time was my benchmark. Anything under that was gold. The next day? 59 minutes. And on it went.



What if?… Ask yourself, “What if I could do this? How would I feel?” Then move on to the next step. “What do I need to do to feel that way?” Then do that. If you’re stuck, you are in a bad trance. Use self-hypnosis to shift that perception and move to a new point of view. And yes, it’s that simple. Live unstuck.

Joan Courtney is a clinical hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner. Writing for Outdoors Southwest and other publications on the Mountain, she also ghostwrites biweekly posts for Lil’ Toot, the Canine Executive Officer of Unstuck Living.