3 Fixed Mindset Obstacles that are Keeping you STUCK.
Have you ever wished you could “get it all together”? It’s like no matter HOW hard you try… you can’t seem to make any headway when it comes to living the way you want to. If you’re ready to live more intentionally, keep reading to see of these 3 fixed-mindset obstacles are keeping you STUCK!
Before I started learning how to live intentionally, I was at the end of my rope. My health had fallen apart, I was depressed, and I wasn't enjoying my life (which made me feel super guilty!). I could tell there were a LOT of unbalanced things in my life… but no matter HOW hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to “get it all together.” I just wanted to feel in control! But I didn't have a CLUE where to start.
Looking back, I’ve realized that I was battling three KEY obstacles that were stopping me from moving forward. These three (STUPID!) things might be what's keeping you stuck… but it doesn't have to be that way! (If only I could go back and teach myself this!) Are you ready? Let's get into it!
3 Fixed Mindset Obstacles that are Keeping You Stuck:
You're STUCK.
You might be feeling STUCK. If you're struggling with feeling stuck, you'll hear yourself saying things like: “I can't, because…” or, “I could never…”and, “That isn't possible, and here's why… ”
The problem is that when you're stuck, your brain actually turns off your creative thinking! You can't see a way through or around the problem, because Self-Preservation-Mode has kicked in, and it has (LITERALLY) shut down sections of your brain.
TIP #1: Feeling Stuck?
Turn OFF self-preservation-mode!
When your brain thinks something is scary or impossible, it turns on self-preservation-mode and (literally) shuts off the creative-thinking part of you brain. 🤯 Ask yourself questions like, “How could this situation be for my good? What can I learn from this?” Once you start changing your mindset around the situation, you'll start to see options that you couldn't see before!
You're SWIRLING.
Straight up: This is where I've gotten stuck the most. (and I still do!) SWIRLING is when you know that something (or everything!) is out of balance, but you have NO CLUE where to start. So, you try something, and it doesn't work (or you get distracted), and the cycle goes on and on. You feel like no matter HOW hard you try, you can't seem to get ahead.
My husband also calls this “snowballing,” because that's what happens to me emotionally.😬 Something goes wrong, and it's like I dropped a snowball at the top of a mountain. Suddenly, everything that's going wrong gets all lumped together… and the farther down it goes, the bigger the “snowball” gets.
Tip #2: Struggling with Swirling?
My best tip for swirling is to STOP.
Take a step back, and relax that brain of yours! Soak in the tub, binge some Netflix, or do something fun. Once you're feeling more balanced, try to get a bird's eye view of what's going on. Write it all down in a journal and then look for themes — things you keep saying over and over.
You're STUMPED.
When you're stumped, you have absolutely NO idea what's causing your life to feel off-balance! You keep trying to do everything that you have to do, but it doesn't seem like you're getting anywhere (and you're tired of trying). Instead of swirling from thing to thing (see #2!), you're at a DEAD STOP. You have NO CLUE what to work on first, so you don't do anything.
STUMPED doesn't mean you're not motivated — you're probably desperately hoping for an answer to the things that aren't working! But it seems pointless to try, only to fail (again). You might've even given up hope of seeing change (See #1!), and you don't want to get your hopes up, only to experience failure again.
Tips #3: Feeling STUMPED?
Do some free-writing!
Put whatever you can think of onto on a piece of paper — you might find yourself writing the grocery list, and then something really profound will show up out of the blue. (If you’re not sure how, read how to do a brain-dump!) Then look for themes in what you're writing or saying. Friend, I bet you already know what the first step is: you're just so frustrated and tired that you can't see it right now.
Girl… I've experienced every single one of these emotions. (Many. Times. 🙄) You're not alone! You aren't a failure, and you aren't doomed to stay stuck. There is HOPE. You can live intentionally… start small by learning how to recognize these 3 fixed-mindset obstacles, so you can start chasing wonderment!
