Are You Stuck and Can’t Get Going?
Artists call it blocks, athletes call it slumps, and lay people say they’re in a funk.
No matter how you label it – it’s no fun being stuck.
Confusion sets in, desperation follows, and finally all hope seems to disappear.
As a struggling addict for nearly 20 years, I hit rock bottom in 2016 and not only felt stuck but crushed. My chest was heavy and there were hours where it was hard to breathe as I tried to get through a day.
My world – as I knew it – dramatically changed.
24 oz. Budweiser cans, Jim Bean on the rocks, and pain pills were no longer an option to “cope”.
I had enough and no matter what I had to pick myself up and get going. But how?
Very simply.
Win one day at a time.
This sounded easy enough and became a great approach to recovery and loosening the chains of addiction.
I began watching motivational YouTube videos and listening to great leaders such as Les Brown, John Maxwell, and Eric Thomas.
Their message wasn’t one from a former addict but it was always about hey they overcame life’s trials.
Each morning I’d wake, say “thank you, God”, take a shower, and immediately plug in to their uplifting messages.
All the way to work – and if possible at work, too – I’d listen to their messages of victory, daily discipline, and determination.
I began reading books how to think positively and believe Joe Pettit could win again.
(Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale is one of my favorites on this subject.)
If you want to get out of a rut, the first you thing you have to do is begin the process of “pulling the weeds and planting the seeds.”
(Below are a few examples but differ for everyone)
WEEDS: addiction, excuses, poor diet, procrastination, financial debt
SEEDS: Videos, books, and/or podcasts with encouraging messages, exercise, eat healthy, drink more water, eat less sugar
We have every piece of media at our fingertips and most of it’s free. In order to gain momentum, we have to make moments count and our habits make up the moments.
You don’t belong in a rut, make daily choices to move towards a road of purpose and happiness.
