Getting Unstuck: some tactics

Burned Out: 22 questions that may help you identify baby steps up from burnout’s pit

You may think of the typical burnout as someone who’s been struggling to stay in the middle class. But burnout is an equal opportunity attacker. A number of my clients are seven-figure successful but felt burned out, empty, wondering whether all the effort was worth it. 

At the other end of the socioeconomic continuum, many people are burned out because they've been hold a job that sustains even a modest living and their personal life is equally dispiriting. 

Burnout can lead to undue sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll, and the sense that nothing matters, or at least is worth working hard for. Indeed, my Psychology Today article, I Don’t Care About Anything has received 270,000 views.

What’s a burnout to do?
Burnout tends to be so all-encompassing that it must be tackled a bite at a time. Perhaps the questions I ask in my PsychologyToday.com article today will help you identify your next bites

Thought Stopping: A potent tool for getting unstuck

At least with my career counseling clients, among the most potent tactics for keeping them moving forward rather than stayed mired in,  for example, “No one will hire me,” “I’m so angry at...” or “I’m an imposter” is thought stopping: As soon as you become aware of an unproductive thought, literally say “Stop!” and ask yourself, “What constructive task could I turn my attention to? What’s the first one-second baby step on that task?”

I flesh that out in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

How to be Resilient

We all know that even successful people fail but that they're more likely to rebound quickly.

How do they get unstuck? And more important, how can you do it?  It may help you answer the eight-question self-assessment that is my PsychologyToday.com post today.

Major Lessons from Daily Life

I'll admit that today wasn't typical but often, daily experiences can be most  instructive if we stop to think about them.

Perhaps telling you about three events that happened to me to today will inspire you to stay alert to such opportunities. Or at minimum, the stories themselves embed lessons we all should remember. I recount them in my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Your First Step Toward Getting Unstuck: A List of Common First Baby Steps

Some people say they’d take action if only they knew what their first step was.  

Well, my PsychologyToday.com article today offers a list of  common first baby steps. 

HERE is the link.

“I Don’t Care About Anything:' A dialogue between a hopeless person and a cheerleader.

At some point, most people ask themselves, “What’s it all mean?” And sometimes, their answer is, “Not much.”

My PsychologyToday.com article today is a dialogue between two hypothetical people. One believes that nearly anyone can have a meaningful life. I’ll call that person “Max.” The other believes life has minimal meaning. I’ll call that person “Minnie.”

Perhaps their exchange might help you in your search for meaning or accepting life’s limitations. 

HERE is the link. 

When Both Your Parents are Gone: What’s your parents’ greatest legacy?

My mom died recently, my dad years earlier.

When our second parent dies, it reminds us that we’re getting toward the end of life’s conveyer belt. It also calls for me to look at their legacy not just for me but perhaps for you, my dear readers.

My article in PsychologyToday.com today may help you identify what your parents' greatest contribution was or is.  HERE is the link. 

 

How to Motivate Someone

In dealing with people with at least moderate self-esteem, you can often motivate them to do something by insisting they'll fail at it.

For more ways to get motivated see Self-Discipline in Ten Days.

Or read the free articles on overcoming procrastination on my website. When you get there, on the left menu, click on "procrastination."