By Ron Elve
If you are stalled (whether it be at work, school, or even life), odds are you know what your next step should be, but you are guilty of fatal neglect/avoidance.
If this is you, try the following tips to try to get unstuck:
Break your task down to the simplest of achievable next micro steps.
Picture yourself successfully accomplishing your goal—like resisting that pastry or cigarette—over and over again. While you picture your action, review your convincing reasons for doing so in your head.
List all the reasons for that first tiny step and go over your list, semi-hypnotically, multiple-times.
If you are still struggling, you might want to examine why. One common issue is the fear of success, characterized by thoughts like “if I succeed, it will be expected all the time.” Another common issue is the fear of failure, characterized by thoughts like “If I try and fail in any aspect, then it proves I am doomed to total failure.”
Before you decide it is better not to try, remember that one of the best ways of learning is by failing and learning from that failure!
It is better to try. Like the old adage about the art of writing—take the seat of the pants and apply it to the seat of the chair and start writing. Famous writers have written so many hours per day no matter what.
Emulate those famous writers and believe in the value of “do it now!”
So stop reading this and enjoy tackling that first micro step—over and over again. And pump up the experience—it’s your joy, you’ve earned it, savor it!
Ron Elve (ronelve@aol.com) is tutoring and mentoring in the West Village
