Growth
Our Journey of Growth
“Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).
What does that mean? Many people hear the call of God coming through His revelation of Himself through creation, the conscience, and the preaching of the Word. But only the “few” will respond because they are the ones who are truly hearing.
In this journey of growth, there are times when we grow and flourish. We are endlessly driven and hyped up, motivated to get our goals. Whether in relationships or as individuals.
Then there are times when we stagnate. We feel uninspired and unmotivated. We simply procrastinate.
How do you know if you are stagnating? Here are some signs.
You have been experiencing chronic procrastination on your goals
You don’t ever feel like doing anything
You keep turning to sleep, eating, games, mindless activities and entertainment for comfort
You know you should be doing something, but yet you keep avoiding it
You have not achieved anything new or significant now relative to 1 month, 2 months or 3 months ago
You have a deep sense of feeling that you are living under your potential
When we face stagnation in life, it’s a sign of deeper issues. Stagnancy in life, just like procrastination, is a symptom of a problem.
Here are 5 steps to help you move out of this stagnation. They won’t magically transform your life in 1 night, but they will help you get the momentum going and help you get back on track.
1. Realize You’re Not Alone
Everyone stagnates at some point or another. You are not alone in this and more importantly, it’s normal. In fact, it’s amazing how many of my clients actually face the same predicament, even though all of them come from different walks of life, are of different ages, and have never crossed paths.
Realizing you are not alone in this will make it much easier to deal with this period. By trying to “fight it”, you’re only fighting yourself. Accept this situation, acknowledge it, and tell yourself it’s okay. That way, you can then focus on the constructive steps that will really help you.
2. Find What Inspires You
Stagnation comes because there isn’t anything that excites you enough to take action. If you don’t have a habit of creating or setting goals, and instead just leave yourself to daily mundane, it’s not surprising you are experiencing stagnation.
On the other hand, even if you are an experienced goal setter, there are times when the goals you set in the past lose their appeal now. Sometimes we lose touch with our goals, since we are in a different emotional state compared to when we first set them. Sometimes our priorities change, and we no longer want to work on those goals anymore. However, we don’t consciously realize this, and what happens is we procrastinate on our goals until it transforms into a more serious problem.
3. Give Yourself a Break
When’s the last time you took a real break for yourself? 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? Never? Prolonged working can cause someone to become disillusioned as they lose sight of who they are and what they want.
Take some extended leave from work. A few days at bare minimum; a few weeks or months will be great if you can afford to.
Go on a trip elsewhere and get away from your work and your life. Use this chance to get a renewed perspective of life. Think about your life purpose, what you want and what you want to create for your life in the future.
4. Shake up Your Routines
Being in the same environment, doing the same things over and over again and meeting the same people can make us stagnant. This is especially if the people you spend the most time with are stagnant themselves.
Change things around. Start with simple things, like taking a different route to work and eating something different for breakfast. Have your lunch with different coworkers or meet someone for lunch. Do something different than your usual for weekday evenings and weekends. Create different habits, like exercising every day, listening to a new series of podcasts every morning to work, reading a book, etc.
5. Start with a Small Step
Stagnation also comes from being frozen in fear. Maybe you do want this certain goal, but you aren’t taking action. Are you overwhelmed by the amount of work needed? Are you afraid you will make mistakes? Is the perfectionist in you taking over and paralyzing you?
Let go of the belief that it has to be perfect.
Break down what’s before you into very small steps, then take those small steps, a little step at a time.
By doing just something, you would already be making progress, whether it’s a mistake or not. Even if you make a supposed “mistake”, you get feedback to do things differently in the next step. That’s something you would never have known if you never made a move.
Stay focused all day and get things done!
