When you’re stuck, it can be disempowering and scary. You might find yourself oversleeping, spending mindless hours on the web, eating too much chocolate or otherwise burning your time bridge.
Believe it or not, the answer to getting unstuck is right under your nose. Just like Pinocchio’s Jiminy Cricket, who sat on the puppet’s shoulder and encouraged him to take his best step forward, hidden inside each of us is an inner coach, an advisor, someone who knows you better than anyone else and can help you map your success.
My version of Jiminy is a wise woman with clear blue eyes, an easy laugh and a caring heart. Although she looks like me, it’s not what she looks like as much aswhat she says. Her only goal is that I’m the best me I can be.
Last week, when she saw me playing mindless games on the internet and not moving forward with the project at hand, she showed up and told me to STOP! Let’s talk about what’s going on here…
Well, I told her. I’m working on a webinar series, but it’s not quite clear how all the pieces fit together so I’m passing time until that happens.
You’re passing time?
Well, yes.
Does anything seem to be getting clearer as you “pass time”?
No, in fact I just feel more anxious and stuck. But I feel like I shouldn’t do anything else until I nail this down. I always advise people to get those A priorities done before looking at the B’s, much less the C’s.
Do you have any other A priorities?
I thought about this and realized I still had one very small piece to tie up for the new website. And I had different pieces of a workshop that need attention, too.
What if you work on those? She asked.
It would make a lot more sense than what I’m doing now.
Good. Do that , and we’ll talk tomorrow.
Your Inner Advisor may look like a favorite high school teacher, the Dali Lama or a white robed spirit. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you trust that voice as your own best self.
The next day my wise woman was back.
How did it go?
I explained that I’d cleaned up some important but petty details on my website, and that had given me energy to map out the components of a workshop. I’d even made a skeleton outline of the webinar, it had been easier to tackle when I just gave myself permission to stick my toe in the water.
That’s terrific. What are you planning for tomorrow?
I’m going to review my priorities for the week, focus on one or two, then see if I can pick up with the webinar.
She was back again the next day.
By that time I was really rolling on the webinar. Working in an area where I didn’t feel stuck had gotten me over my inertia and given me enough momentum to get started. I’d written the webinar’s whole first section.
When I told my Inner Advisor, she smiled and nodded her head.
Thank you for helping to work this through, I said.
You’re welcome. I’m always here when you need to talk.
I know.
Do you have something on your plate that’s feels too big to handle? Are you confused about your next move either professionally or personally? Do you wish you had a helping hand to get you unstuck? Just for a second drop the distractions and close your eyes. Listen. Your greatest advisor is inside – the compassionate, clever, emotionally mature part of yourself is always right there.
In case you can’t access this voice right away, get out your journal and a pen (this is often best done by hand) and start writing to your wise woman (or man). For an example of this, check out the part in Eat, Pray, Love when Liz is in Italy writing to an invisible “other”. Watch how her Inner Advisor shows up in full form…
I’d love to hear about your process of finding that Jiminy Cricket inside. Write about it in the comment section below so we can all be inspired!!
Until next Tuesday. YIPPEE!
Elizabeth