How to Take Action When you Are Stuck at crossroads

How many times have you been working on a project or an important goal and then, all of a sudden everything comes to a screeching halt because you get hung up on something unexpected? One minute everything is progressing, the next minute you are totally stuck. You want to move forward, but here you are, stuck at a crossroad. Now you find yourself in a situation where need to stop, reevaluate, and figure out what to do next. So, you refocus, look at all your options, and get ready to wrap it up and move on. But the more you think about it, the more you realize that things are a bit more complicated than you originally thought.

We all get stuck from time to time when life throws us an unexpected curve. It happens in life, business and relationships. When the pressure is on to make a choice, if we do not feel like we have enough information, it’s natural to put on the brakes but the longer we are stuck, the greater the chance that we will end up abandoning our original project or goal.

See five strategies for getting unstuck when you are at crossroads;

1. Get a fresh perspective. When we first analyze an unexpected challenge, it can seem much more daunting than it needs to be. The best way to shrink it down to size is to get a fresh perspective. There are two ways to accomplish this. The first is to step back and look at the big picture. Now, see this sticking point in relation to everything else and from this new perspective reevaluate just how big or small it really is. You can also determine how much priority focus it deserves, and what your timeframe is for making a final decision. The other way to get a fresh perspective is to have someone with experience evaluate the situation from a third party perspective. This is valuable not only because they have experience, but also because they can be completely objective since they are not emotionally involved.

2. Get some expert advice. Educating ourselves so we can make an informed decision is always a good idea. But sometimes the learning curve is too big in proportion to its importance in the overall scheme of things. When time is an issue, get some expert help and move on. The time you save will likely be worth more than the cost involved.

3. Be open to alternatives. Maybe there is a simpler or less challenging way to accomplish the same results without all the hassle or expense. The most obvious solution is not always the best. Keep an open mind as you continue looking for a solution that will work for you. Ask around and see if someone you know has found a way to do what you are attempting to do. With a little digging, there is a good chance you will find exactly what you are looking for.

4. Ready, fire, aim. There comes a point where overthinking a decision just becomes a hybrid kind of procrastination. A good sequence is ready, aim, fire, but sometimes the “aim” part can lapse into overthinking and overanalyzing and nothing gets done. That’s when you have to take control of the process, make a decision, and take action without looking back.

5. Find a way to take action while you decide. Taking action has an amazing way of making everything work out. If no acceptable solutions are available at the moment, take action on some other aspect of your project or goal. While you work at it from a different angle, have confidence that the answer you need will make itself known very soon. Action is the antidote to feeling stuck and there is always some area where you can keep going while things sort themselves out.

Do you have points to add to the list? Share with us in the comments section.