Illumin Blog

Internal Conversations Getting You Nowhere?

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to get out of your own head when you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed or depressed when business is slow or your career is stalled?

As much as you may try, finding the solutions to what's ailing you professionally is sometimes impossible to do for yourself. You keep massaging the same scenarios over and over, keep taking the same actions with the same results, or keep having the same internal conversation without resolution. I call this "mental masturbation" and it's enough to drive you crazy because there is no result. If you're doing this, let's face, you're going nowhere fast in your career or business.

If You Don't Have the Answer, Reach Out to Someone Who Does

You're not alone. I've been there before--more than I care to admit. In fact, a few months ago I was experiencing real blockage in my work. I knew what I wanted to do and needed to do, but just couldn't get myself moving. Truth was, I was feeling stuck. I mean really, really stuck and I couldn't shake it.

I reached out to my coach for a heart-to-heart and after just one call, the weight of the world was lifted. Together, we made a plan and I started pushing through what I needed to do in order to keep building Illumin.

Staying Stuck is a Choice

As I've gotten wiser ("older?"...who said "older"?), I've started to learn from the pros. Those who have achieved the greatest success surround themselves with a robust support system, leveraging them constantly so they don't stay stuck. Being stuck--whether in your business or when in career transition--is a luxury few of us can afford. Time is money. The opportunity cost of not taking action vs. the amount of money you pay an expert to get you unstuck is nominal. And, let's face it, the longer you allow yourself to stay stuck, the more damage it does to your self-esteem and your bank account. Stuck is a choice few of us can afford.

Feeling stuck is often a precursor to breakthrough and that can be scary, but for those who really want success, it's critical to push through the fear.

What Mindset Do You Have to Push Through?

Reaching out for support is not always easy. As someone with a German-Irish background, I was raised to keep my business private and work through things myself. This was a mindset I had to push through when learning to reach out to others for support. I'm glad I did because it seems that the more I invest in these areas of support (business, marketing, sales), the greater the reward for my business and my self-esteem. And make no mistake, your business and career are directly impacted by your self-esteem so keeping that in tack is critical to success.

If you are feeling stuck. If you are still holding onto the mindset of "I'll figure it out myself," or "I can do it myself" or "I can't afford to" when it comes to pushing your career or business forward, then you may be shooting yourself in your foot.

More importantly, how can you afford not to seek out the support you need to move forward? Really, who has that luxury these days?