Getting unstuck takes “Action” – Act on it.

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed” – Theodore Roosevelt.

We all have a variety of reasons for getting into & staying in any given situation or reality. But in truth, it is the very thought or behavior that got us into a situation that very often keeps us there.

We may think we’re stuck in a situation because we feel

• Sadness
• Guilt
• Betrayal
• Jealousy
• Fear

But emotions aren’t what keep us stuck. It is the lack of action, follow-through and consistency that does. Emotions are indicators of what’s going on in our minds, what’s going on in our souls and how we feel about them. Behind any emotion is a thought, and believe it or not, staying in a situation is a choice. Even not making a choice is a choice -You choose to stay in it and wait.  But you can choose something else.  Just as the signal of change is in the air we should mimic nature in matters of the heart and even of the mind and start “Spring cleaning” towards a new fresh start.

Today, find the inspiration to turn that around for yourself.  Spring is hovering; the cherry blossoms are budding, time has sprung forward, the days are longer, the smell of jasmine and change lingers in the air and kabbalistically there is a unique time between Passover and Shavuot called the Omer, where we have the opportunity to do things at a faster rate.  So instead of waiting around, choose to:

• Move things out of the attic (so to speak) at a faster rate.
• Really take a long look at your life.
• See if there is something that you don’t love, AND change it.

A good place to start is to look at all the things in our lives that need attention & mark them as:

• Fix now
• Revisit often (Never leaving your to-do list)
• Try again next spring &
• “Oh well” & move on.

It is important to recognize the underlying issues behind the bigger problems or obstacles in our lives and prioritize them.  This requires taking a good long look at oneself in order to start acknowledging what is working for you and what is working against you so that you can start taking the appropriate steps towards change and growth.

For Instance:

• It’s time to learn to love what you have (appreciate your blessings)
• Change what you can’t love (your meaningless job)
• & Get away from what harms you (a jealous friend)

When we “Spring Clean” mentally it enables us to become clear on what it is we want to give away & what we want to keep.  But, what makes this challenging is when our actions don’t match our ideals.

In order to counteract the opposition between “our actions” vs “our ideals” try this as an exercise:  Think of a role model that you have (it can be anyone from Bill Gates to Mother Theresa, Rav Berg to your Grandmother) – What do you admire in them?

JOURNAL

1.      Do you know how they live their lives & how they got to the place that makes you want to emulate them?

2.      What steps did they take?

3.      How did they handle set-backs?

Now write down:

1.      How you mirror their actions day to day

2.      What actions are you taking to be like them?

If the answer to both questions is “nothing”, then WHAT CAN YOU DO DIFFERENTLY TO GET THE DESIRED OUTCOME?

It’s easy to look from afar and say “this person is my role model”. But unless you take the necessary steps they will simply remain as someone you admire from afar but never really come to emulate.  Don’t allow inertia to impede you, the keywords are “To do”, choose to take action and take one step at a time, for “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” – Robert Collier.