Feeling Stuck? What Can You Do About It?
Article | Accountability Insights
We all get stuck from time to time, wanting to give up, throw in the towel, or blink our eyes and be somewhere else. However, no matter how much we try to ignore or deny reality, we also know that our work must still get done. Think about it. How much of your work actually gets done on days when you don’t feel good or wish you could be somewhere else? Probably more than you’d like. Down deep, all of us know that, ultimately, we alone determine the course of our lives and the results we achieve.
Whenever you’re feeling stuck Below The Line, remember this: you can never get unstuck until you first acknowledge that you’re functioning Below The Line and paying a high price for it. Such acknowledgment gives you the perspective you need to get Above The Line—even though it can be a very hard reality to face. Here’s our list of ten telltale signs that you are stuck Below The Line; use them when you’re needing some additional help to face yourself and your difficult circumstances:
| • | You feel held captive by your circumstances. | |
| • | You don’t listen when others tell you, directly or indirectly, that they think you could do more to achieve better results. | |
| • | Your discussions of problems focus more on what you cannot do, than on what you can do. | |
| • | You have difficulty confronting the toughest issues you face. | |
| • | You feel you are being treated unfairly and you don’t think you can do anything about it. | |
| • | You repeatedly find yourself in a defensive posture, giving excuses. | |
| • | You spend a lot of time talking about things you cannot change (e.g., your boss, the economy, government regulations). | |
| • | You avoid the people, meetings, and situations that require you to report on your responsibilities. | |
| • | You frequently waste time and energy “boss or colleague bashing.” | |
| • | You find yourself saying: “It’s not my job,” “There’s nothing I can do about it,” “Someone ought to tell him,” “All we can do is wait and see,” “I’m confused, just tell me what you want me to do,” or “If it were me, I’d do it differently.” |
If you detect any of these telltale signs in yourself, your team, or your organization, act immediately to help yourself or someone else acknowledge those excuses for what they are: impediments to accountability and results. Once this acknowledgment occurs, you and others can begin moving Above The Line, even when you’re feeling justifiably stuck.
To learn more about what to do when you’re feeling stuck Below The Line, we invite you to join the Accountability Community at www.partnersinleadership.com, where you can review actual client case studies.
Above The Line, Below the Line, and Accountability Community are registered trademarks of Partners In Leadership, Inc.