“So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains, And we never even know we hold the keys”       

    – The Eagles, Already Gone, 1974

While working with clients in the coaching world, people often admit to being “stuck in a rut”. They can feel trapped, sometimes feel uncomfortable or even comfortable, often feel unchallenged and regularly go from week to week repeating the same routines. While there are many reasons for this “stagnation” here a just six common reasons I’ve discovered while helping people change…

Blaming others….

Blaming other people is probably the most common reason we stay trapped in a rut. However, next time you point the finger of blame at someone for your particular dilemma, just remember that three fingers are pointing back at you! So rather than blame someone else, ask yourself what can I do? If you find yourself in a leadership role and those three fingers are pointing back at you, perhaps you should ask yourself some questions about your leadership style. Do my team have clearly defined goals? Do I communicate effectively or does ambiguity cloud their work? Have I empowered and encouraged them or are they struggling as a consequence of my controlling style?

Anxiety….

Anxiety is another reason people get stuck in a position and are fearful of change. However, anxiety is merely energy without a goal. Crystallise and define your goals and you’ll dilute the anxiety.

Indecision….

Indecision leads to stress. The most stressful time in your life is always the period before you make a decision, particularly a big decision. From the micro personal decision that effects just you, to the life changing decisions that affect us all. Think about it. I bet the most stressful time for you was the pre-decision time. After making the decision your stress levels reduced. You then focused on the implementation of your decision. You moved on.

Making judgements calls…

We all have to make calls at one time or another in our lives. Men in particular tend to be more cautious and factual in the way they make calls and require more information in making these judgement calls. However, you sometimes need to bite the bullet and make that call by a certain deadline with the information available. If you get it right, you’ll be happy, if you get it wrong, you’ll hopefully learn from your mistake!

Perfectionism…

Simply put, there is no such thing as perfection. However, many people strive for perfection in various aspects of their lives. In the world of business and sport, results are what matters. That’s how we’re measured. So next time you’re seeking perfectionism with a piece of work, strive for results not perfection. You’ll be amazed how your productivity will sore.

Feeling sorry for yourself…

Business is a factual game. The beans are counted based on the facts. We are all accountable. So rather than allowing the heart to rule your decisions, use your head. People who are emotional or soft, are often abused a lot in business. You will struggle in business (and life) if you persist with the self-pity. You are like a mirror. The law of reflection indicates that people reflect back to you, how you reflect out to them. So who’s looking back at you right now? What image are you reflecting?

Coaching is all about change. If you find yourself either personally or professionally struck in a rut and would like to change, self-reflect on these six issues that may be keeping you trapped. Dig deep. Ask yourself some hard questions. Which of them is holding you back? What will you do about it? When will you do it?

If you find yourself or your business in the doldrums and would like to discuss how to move forward why don’t you drop me a note and we can discuss your specific challenge. https://noexcuses.ie/contact/