Stuck

There are many reasons we are stuck. That is why we maintain a holding pattern longer than we should. Here are some reasons why:

1. We are too afraid of the unknown.
2. We don’t think we have any choice. And yet, in most instances, the only choices left are hard to make.
3. We think that our future selves will be better at solving the problem.
4. We think we lack something. Resources like money, time, energy, education…
5. We have people counting on us and don’t want to let them down.
6. Our ego is too large. We can’t admit when we are wrong.
7. We lack prajna–seeing the world as it really is.
8. Our narration, the story we tell ourselves, is telling a story of inefficiency.
9. We are not accustomed to leaping.
10. We feel the need to ask permission. That the boss will say no.
11. We are looking for safety and reliability, a sure thing, and a guarantee something will work before you begin.
12. We are afraid of failure.
13. Our status is in jeopardy.
14. We don’t want to use the emotional labor it takes to be creative.
15. You occupy your time with email, Twitter, and Netflix.
16. You spam people on LinkedIn instead of going to a conference.
17. You say you have “writer’s block.”
18. Your idea is too large to pull off.
19. After 12 years of schooling believe that compliance is a valuable skill.
20. You have a poor locus of control.

There are lots of things we do to self-sabotage our work. The thing I constantly see is that people simply haven’t made a choice. It is a choice to show up to work today. And when people forget they are making one each day, it enlarges the feeling of being stuck.