I Repeat This Phrase Whenever I Feel Stuck to Power Through

Here’s why you should too

Let’s go!

Move fast, get that job, make that money, build that sexy body! I got this, it’s time to be the best of the best! It’s time to dominate life.

….

But then I hit a plateau.

Has this happened to you before?

It has for me. Many, many times in fact. It’s part of this rollercoaster we call life.

I’ll give you a few examples.

When I was trying to lose a bit of weight a few months ago (hello sexy six-pack!) things went extremely well for the first several weeks. But losing weight takes time. After that initial success, my progress slowed down and eventually halted to a plateau.

Getting a new job is usually awesome. Thus far in my career, my new jobs have always come with a raise in salary and a feeling of excitement that this job is finally the one I’m going to move up the ladder in! But after the first few weeks of settling in, it quickly becomes clear that promotions don’t come so fast, even if I performed at the top level (office politics anyone?).

If you’re running a business or just writing here on Medium as I am, you may have experienced some slower months. Even top writers sometimes have articles that flop. It can be a mental challenge to push through and find ways to improve all the time. But it’s also the only way to move forward.

The key is to find a way to motivate yourself during those times of slow growth, to get that momentum ball rolling again. And I’ve got a way for you to do it! It’s my favorite phrase that I repeat to myself daily when pursuing my goals.

“What’s next?”

That’s all I need to say.

“What’s next?”

It might seem simple, so let me break it down for you.

It prompts you to move forward

When you hit a plateau, there’s usually the feeling of being stuck, like you’ve got no other options. This leads to a spiral of inaction as the thoughts of lack of options stay stuck in our brains.

By saying “what’s next?” you’re deliberately looking for the next move, the next action. The word next already implies that you should move forward, so that’s what you’re inclined to do and what your actions will be centered around.

It keeps you moving and builds momentum

A big reason that people often get stuck is that they slow down or completely stop moving. For example, if you’re starting a new job, you relax in the first few weeks rather than pushing hard to stand out right away. Or you’re growing here on Medium by writing every day and one day decide to slow it down because you feel like you’re doing well.

Asking yourself “what’s next” keeps you honest and builds up your momentum. By consistently saying it, you’re always reminding yourself that in order to move forward, you’ll need to keep working and keep innovating. At the same time, the more you keep moving the more momentum you build. You get used to constantly taking action until you’re unstoppable.

It’s a positive mindset

Feeling stuck can build up negative thoughts. Like you’re trapped or have no way of growing. Those feelings of limitation are inherently negative.

Saying “what’s next” is a way of always looking at the positive side of things. Instead of looking at everything you can’t do, you’re looking for what you can do, whatever that may be. Looking at all the possibilities and all the opportunities at all times. So you’re never actually stuck because you’re always looking for the next thing and moving forward to it.

Practical Application

That’s our “what’s next” strategy! A simple prompt to get unstuck and keep the momentum going. Here are a few practical tips for how to pick your “next” thing.

More of the same

Starting off simple, your next thing doesn’t necessarily have to be something totally new. It can be doing more of the same. For example, if you’re looking for a new job and got rejected, your “what’s next” might be to just keep applying to more! If you’re writing here on Medium and one of your articles flops, your “what’s next” can be to write another article.

A slight tweak

Maybe what you’re doing is working pretty well, but you want it to get even better. In that case, make a small change to what you’re doing. Try out some A/B testing for example.

Re-creating yourself

Perhaps what you’re currently doing isn’t working at all, you’re completely stuck. It’s OK to re-create yourself and make a drastic change. Try a completely new activity or learn a completely new skill. Go in a totally different direction. Proactively shake things up. You’re “next” big break could be right around the corner, especially if you’re proactive about going for it.

Rest and relax

“What’s next” doesn’t have to be all work. There will be times when the best thing to do “next” is to just rest and relax. And that’s totally OK! Listen to your body and get that recharge time in. It will help you in the long run as you gain energy so you can come back really strong.

Thanks for reading.

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