5 Powerful Strategies to Get You Unstuck

So this is a little embarrassing to admit … Saturday night I went speed dating! Eek, there I said it.

Actually, it was pretty fun. I’m an up-for-adventure kind of gal, so why not right?!

When you read to the end of this post, you will see why DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT – and why there are some things we should just NEVER SAY on a date – relates to your posture and health.

I arrived at 5.20pm and actually found a parking spot in Toronto. Luck was on my side!

My speed dating event included a free cocktail, so as you can imagine, I immediately went to the bar for a little Dutch courage – a glass of bubby helped.

I had twelve dates – each lasted five minutes. I had prepared some stock questions in case of awkward silences:

• What did you do this morning?
• What was a favorite childhood past-time?
• Canoe trip, Vegas or Mexico? Bet you can guess my answer.

I didn’t rely on my fixed questions; most of the conversations seemed to flow easily.

MOSTLY!

For any of you planning to try speed dating, definitely do NOT say this:

So tell me everything about you. (We only had 5 minutes)

Or this:

I don’t like being touched – eek, I was trying hard not to giggle at this point.

If you’ve ever speed dated, you know that at the end, if you put a tick in the YES box and they also tick YES, then you’ve got a match. I had one of those! But hey, some things are a little too private to share (wink).

Here it is – this is why DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT might help get you unstuck. I’ve been single for a few years now. I’ve dated online, had friends intro me, and waited for the magical moment that perfect person walks into my life. Ah ya, hasn’t happened. So I did something different!

Where are you stuck?

Maybe you want to quit your job, move to a small town (I did this – highly recommend it), learn a new skill, or improve your posture?

I’m cheating because of course I know that you want to correct your posture, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

What have you tried?

Maybe you’ve enrolled in one of my courses, tried a Pilates class, personal trainer, new mattress, sit-up-straight app, or wearable??

What does DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT look like for you?

Here are five things you can do, right now to empower yourself to move closer to the life you deserve:

1. Change Your Physiology

I borrowed this from life transformation guru Tony Robbins. Tony suggests that feeling stuck and making progress are not interdependent. You can only be in one state at any given moment.

… the feeling of progress, stops when we feel stuck – and miserable – because ultimately, progress is the key to happiness.

He goes on to suggest that bad physiology reinforces negative feelings. As Tony says, “Motion creates emotion.” Changing your physiology means adjusting your body to alter your mindset.

This can be something as simple as changing your posture so you are standing long and tall, doing something funny with your body like wiggling your bottom for 20 seconds, or something more intense like going for a jog.

2. Ridiculously Small Changes

Change stimulates your brain. You can start small by changing one daily routine, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, or doing ten shoulder rolls in the shower each morning. It really doesn’t need to be monumental – it just has to be different. After a while, an accumulation of small changes (doing something different) will help you accomplish your goals, and you will start feeling unstuck.

3. Buy a Fancy New Journal

I can’t remember when it was that I fell in love with design and writing, but a pretty journal definitely romances me into creativity. I don’t journal as such. I write down things I’m grateful for, my to-do lists for the day, or ideas that bubble up at any given moment – that happens a lot!

I use my journal as a productivity tool for work and life mostly. It allows me to coach myself through challenging situations and walk away with greater perspective and clarity.

Don’t forget to buy a writing utensil that feels good in your hand – a chubby pencil was my choice, but a lovely pen, marker, and crayon all work well. I like to write over breakfast and think of the day and week ahead and what I want to accomplish.

4. Begin That Course

Over 12,000 of you have enrolled in one of my online posture courses – you rock!

How many of us have enrolled in an online course but never started?

An unviewed course is a little like a lightbulb that has been burnt out in your hallway for months, and every time you walk by, it reminds you that you suck – sad face.

It’s a little bit like the clock by my front door. It often takes me 3-4 months before I get around to changing the time after spring-ahead fallback. Argh, why do we do that?!

Whatever course/s you are enrolled in, go now (or today) and watch the first lecture. I promise you, you will feel so darn good and you’ll probably end up watching more than one lecture – but only aim for the first lecture – anything else is a bonus and a bigger win!

Further Resources: Posture Crash Course

5. Walk

This one is probably my favorite one of all. I’m a big walker. I walk and walk and walk until the worries of the world melt away. I have one Golden Rule when it comes to walking – NEVER take your phone. Never!

The answer we’re looking for is often found in the doing. It feels weird to start writing without an idea, painting without a concept or walking, just for the sake of walking.

It might feel wrong to quit a job we dislike or start a business without having the perfect plan or take up a musical instrument when we don’t naturally have rhythm.

And yet, that’s exactly what we should do when we’re stuck:

Start doing. And start DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

It doesn’t have to be right or perfect, but it will move the energy around and lead you to new ideas, emotions, and connections you wouldn’t discover if you waited for inspiration to come and find you.