Don’t Ever Feel Stuck Again

It’s about time to change your mindset.

Everyone wants to grow, dreams about a great job, and fulfilling life. The paths to achieve happiness are different. But if you are like me, you need to have a feeling that it is going somewhere.

I noticed last year that a lot of my colleagues felt stuck. They knew their job from bottom to top and were bored. My friends also told me that since the lockdown hit, they stayed at home and netflixed. So, general tiredness and boredom were walking around. I was in that circle too. But I decided to fight it by doing small shifts in my mind and daylife.

1. From lazy to regular

They say that any physical activity is beneficial for the brain and skills. You don’t have to be a gym freak to keep your guts going. I am lazy. Yet, whenever I manage to put my body out of the couch and do something, I feel much better. My sleep gets deeper and my mind clearer.

However, I am a fan of cloudy moody days. I love staying at home and doing nothing. So, finding the motivation to move was tricky. I had to overpower my lazy zombies and schedule time for some sport. I dreaded it, but when I started running or walking, I enjoyed it. After some time, I noticed the shift in my perception — moving was not an enemy, but a part of the routine.

When I controlled my lazy feelings, I was able to focus and build unexpected skills — like doing fitness or running 10K. Feelings can be changed with a conscious decision and regular brain work. The result is less procrastination and more fun. So, keep moving!

2. From passive consumer to active learner

We got a new perk at work two years ago. They unlocked LinkedIn Learning. It was for free. So, I was taking one course after the other. Courses were running in the background while I was working. When finished, I got a certificate (Juhu!). But I had usually no recollection of the content.

This perk was useless. I was using it, but not learning out of it. That’s a dark side of online education. It is hard to keep the attention. When it’s for free, it goes in and out. Then I paid for a course about learning led by Dr Barbara Oakley. It helped me to become an active learner by presenting how the brain works.

It is simple. Our brain needs motivation, practice, and spaced repetition. So, whatever I learn, I am now trying to use and to talk about. Not to look smart, but to practice. Practice makes memories and activates the process of learning. Motivation is tough. But I do 15 min of Instagram = 15 min of learning. Try punishing yourself with learning too, and see how you grow your knowledge and skills.

3. From scattered content to big books

You could say reading is conventional and boring. But reading is still a great source of someone else’s experience and knowledge. It is said that everything was written already. Topics are rotating, tweets are repetitive, and books get new covers.

I am active on LinkedIn. There is a lot of content about motivation, psychology, productivity, and growth. Sadly, it is plain. People share pictures of best practices, famous quotes, or sentences like ‘be mindful…’, ‘value this and value that’. It is nice to read, but what one should do with it without any context.

Books, on the flip side, give you a rounded set of authors’ opinions. It is a deeper analysis of the topic. So, although it is more time-consuming, it is more rewarding. Infographics and tweets are nice, but you will most likely forget them in the next 10 min. Try a book about a topic you are interested in, not what other people make you consume.

4. From expert to novice

I reached a good level of knowledge at work some time ago. I nominated myself to be an expert. I knew my stuff. Others came to me for a piece of advice, and I thought I could not learn anything more. I was nicely settled on my warm office chair.

Being an expert, though, means I had a closed mindset. I did not listen to other opinions. I knew my thing, and I was ready to prosecute anyone who dared to challenge me. I didn’t realize how much I limited myself until I had a few unexpected conversations with people outside of my field.

Some people are weird in a good way. They have original thoughts which would never come to my mind. They show you how much you don’t know. That’s amazing. By putting myself back in novice shoes, I was able to become curious again. Being humble and kind bring you more than being a confident expert.

Final thought

I tended to blame my teachers, my managers, my friends for not helping me. Everyone was doing a bad job, but me. What nonsense!

Noone is not going to do work for you. You are in charge. So, sitting around and waiting for miraculous skills is ridiculous. People can help you if you are open to listening, but they are not there to entertain you.

It all depends on your mindset. You need to play an active role in your life. You can be lazy. But you can also take a small step here and a small there. So, do a bit of walking and thinking about what to do and especially how.