Have you ever felt stuck?
Yeah, me too. It sucks doesn’t it?
Lacking a clear vision is a momentum killer.
Its also a revenue killer.
A productivity killer.
And a success killer.
Feeling stuck is usually a result of tunnel vision.
When you’ve been head down focused on the day to day of your business, taking calls, tweaking copy, managing employees or contractors and paying the bills, it is really hard to see the forest from the trees. When you finally take a step back from the melee, you may realize that you have no idea where your business is headed.
Or worse, you may realize things are not going as well as you thought. You’re not making as much progress as you had hoped. Or your team isn’t as productive as you would like. Or your customers aren’t quite as happy with your work as you thought they were.
And maybe you’re not making as much revenue as you would like and you have no idea how to “get there.”
In order to “get there” you have to know where “there” is.
Which is just a cute way of saying you have to know what the #*$% you want. The problem is how the hell do you figure out what the #*$% you want?! How do you get to that spectacular moment where your mind is crystal clear and the thing, THE THING! that you really want and have subconsciously always wanted comes gliding in on a cloud next to Moses playing a harp?
The only way to get clarity (at least that I know of) is to go to the edges of your comfort zone: that is where Moses is hanging.
Here are a few things that can help you get out of your routine (and get closer to the edges):
- Play. For you workaholics (ie, all of us), play is that thing you do just for the sake of doing it with absolutely no goal or result in mind. Whatever kind of playing you enjoy, go do that. Take a dance class or go do improv. Go outside and kick a ball around. Play Scrabble with some friends. Paint! Studies have shown that play is essential to our creativity. When you need clarity, stretching that creativity muscle is essential.
- Rethink your schedule. Try a different work schedule. Hell, try a different life schedule. I recently did this and ohmygod I cannot tell you how invigorated I feel. I used to work 9-5 like everyone else. Recently I started getting up at 4am, enjoying some quiet time to myself then beginning work around 6am and finishing work early in the afternoon. Afterwards I go to the gym and then I have plenty of time for hanging with my kids and enjoying my evening. I’m in bed by 9pm. This schedule works with the ebbs and flows of my energy levels SO MUCH BETTER. What schedule would work best for your energy levels throughout the day?
- Delegate and trust your team. In order to have time to get clarity about where you want to take your company, you have to trust your team. Its hard to disconnect from the business if you feel like you need to be there making all of the decisions all day, every day. Empower your team to make more decisions so you can free up your brain for the strategic thinking you need to do.
- Take a nap. I know, getting clarity sounds SO hard doesn’t it? Seriously though, for us Type A folks naps are out of our comfort zone. Sleep is essentially the opposite of obsessing over your lack of clarity. Which is exactly why you should do more of it. Obsessing doesn’t bring clarity, it brings frustration (and makes you super annoying to be around). Take a nap instead, you may find the clarity you need when you wake up.
These strategies worked for me recently when I was searching for the answer to a huge life question that I have been trying to figure out for years. Now I feel settled and can move forward with a myriad of actions and decisions because I am clear on what I want.
What have you tried that helped you get clarity when you were feeling stuck? What have you tried that sucked and just left you feeling even more stuck?
