A Helpful Question When You Feel Stuck

Have you ever felt stuck? Torn as to what to do and which way to go in life? 

Maybe you feel that way about some aspect of life right now. If that's the case, this post is for you. Even if it's not the case, read on, because that stuck / torn feeling is one we encounter over and over again in life.

I want to give you one simple tool, in the form of a question, that you can use to help you decide what to do next.

Story Time

Recently, we got some bad news about something we've been working really hard on inside the Peak Mind Center. Something we've been working toward was threatening to fall through and not happen at all, and the news hit me HARD.

We had been working on it for WEEKS. We were thrilled at the opportunity. We were absolutely in LOVE with what we had created and wanted to send it out into the world.

And we were at risk of it all falling through.

I'll be honest, I instantly began to over-react, and I let my mind take over. I began asking myself whether it all was worth it. I began doubting whether we'd ever reach the lofty goals we've set for ourselves. I began to convince myself that I was wasting my time.

Have you ever felt like that?

Now, here's the thing. Ashley and I frequently tell you guys that we use the exact same tools and techniques that we teach in order to build psychological strength and resilience for ourselves.

We're not exaggerating.

It's times like the one I just described that I've learned to lean back on the techniques we teach in order to help me regain balance, focus on the problem, and decide what to do. 

Here's what I did.

Finding the Path Forward

The first thing I did was to become an observer of my mind. We give a lot of tools and techniques for doing this inside our Ascend program.

I did this by intentionally noticing the types of thoughts I was having and labeling them accordingly: Worry, Catastrophizing, Predicting the Future, Black and White 

Thinking.

By observing my thoughts instead of letting myself get caught up in them, I was able to put myself back in a frame of mind where I could think more clearly.

Then, I asked myself this question:

Let's pretend you're right. You're 80 years old, at the end of your life, and you guys didn't reach your lofty goals, You spent a good chunk of your life working on something that didn't turn out the way you expected. Will you regret it?

Will you regret spending your time teaching people about their minds, even if you don't reach as many people as you wanted to reach?

Will you regret showing people how to use life design to make meaningful improvements in their lives, even if never becomes a mainstream practice in our society?

Will you regret focusing your time and energy on something that used your strengths and was aligned to your purpose and values?

The answer came immediately: No. Big time no.

And suddenly, I knew the path forward.

The Question

What about you? Think about the thing(s) you're grappling with in your life. Ask yourself that question.

At the end of your life, will you regret spending your time in that way?

Sometimes, the answer will be yes. In that case, I'd encourage you to check out the Ascend program, specifically Module 3 that shows you how to use Life Design to identify and make changes in your life.

Sometimes the answer will be no. And you stay the course.

Meaning

A meaningful activity is so much more than one that allows you to achieve your external goals. 

Rather, a truly meaningful activity is one that aligns to your values. Uses your strengths. Puts you in a position to be your best self more often than not.

The work I do for Peak Mind is some of the most meaningful work I've ever done. It's some of the most important time I spend in my life.

I sincerely hope that you have an activity like that in your own life, or that you find one. It is EVERYTHING.

At the end of my life, I am certain that I'll look back on the work we did with Peak Mind and be proud that this was how I spent so much of my time. I'm so proud to be serving you.