Today I want to talk about Stagnation.
As business owners or career professionals, sometimes we might feel stuck in our personal or professional life without clear progress.
With my over 20 years’ experience in business, I have definitely had seasons in my life where I felt stuck and wasn’t sure what next steps to take. Over the years, I have come to realise that this feeling of stagnation will happen a few times as one grows in life. This is not to say you are not doing what you are supposed to do but it’s just life.
In my season of being stuck, some of the reasons why were because I wasn’t clear enough about my goals. Clarity is key in getting any desired results and getting over stagnation.
Another reason was the fear of change and taking risks. But, luckily, I quickly overcame that as I know the comfort zone can be a powerful trap. Over thinking and negative self talk have also prevented me from moving forward in the past. You know going through all the reasons something might not work. During this time, I had to intentionally rule my mind (get a copy of my book on amazon) and focus on the reasons why it would actually work and run with that.
One reason for feeling stuck which I had to conquer recently was physical and emotional exhaustion. Sometimes, we just get tired, and this makes it difficult to muster the energy and motivation to move forward. This is why it is important to know why you are in business, so you don’t give up.
In seasons when I feel exhausted, I intentionally take a step back, relax and center myself. When I feel relaxed, I then do a self-audit. I ask myself what I want to achieve and why. I sincerely ask myself how achieving it will make me feel. Doing this self-audit usually gets me excited and eager to now move forward. Because my “what”, “why” and “how it would make me feel” is clear.
So I say to you today, recognizing whatever obstacle is the first step to overcoming the feeling of being stuck. And then, consciously doing something to take your power back is the next important step be it breaking your goals into smaller tasks, meditation, visualization, speaking to the right people or something.
Feeling stagnant happens, but how you deal with it will determine if you remain as you are or grow personally and professionally. It’s in your hands.
I am Dr. Tewa Onasanya and I am living the words I speak.
