How to get unstuck

🔉 Listen to this edition (11 minutes) 🔉

Today, the Backstreet Boys unexpectedly visited me. Technically, it was only a song, but it was just what I needed to hear.

I was stuck. I wanted to publish the podcast and share it with you, but…

• I didn’t have time

• I wanted a better intro

• I needed graphics and to set up the tech

• I wanted to have more episodes recorded

• I wanted to do my first guest justice and go big

• I wanted to follow conventional advice about how to launch

That wasn’t all though, so let’s make things more complicated, shall we?

I wanted to share dozens of other ideas and learnings with you from this week, but…

• I can’t make up my mind

• I don’t want to overwhelm you

• Some are complete, and some are emerging

• Some are better as videos, others feel like words

• Some are short, and some are long and don’t fit the newsletter

• I’m terrified of getting roasted by GenZ or the angry mob coming for me

There I was, staring at this blank page with all these “buts” running through my head.

All it took was the lyric: “I want it that way…” from the song by the Backstreet Boys and I knew the answer: I will do this my way and figure it out as I go. That’s when I’m at my best.

Has this ever happened to you, especially when starting something new?

My hunch is that the bombardment of buts and the spiral of shoulds is the number one reason it’s so hard to get started. It’s almost as if your brain is purposely overcomplicating the new thing you’re trying to do so it becomes easier to stay right where you are instead. In the known path; the easier path.

What if you could do something about it?

Deep down inside, I know you want to do amazing things, and amazing things can be uncomfortable at times.

But you can’t always rely on the Backstreet Boys to snap you out of your analysis paralysis or perfection party. You need a way to do this consistently so you can spend more time moving forward on the stuff you care about and less time spiraling.

I’ll be honest; this is still a challenge for me. But I’ve been told I’m world-class at getting started and unstuck. It’s because I’ve built this muscle and the corresponding brain pathways overtime to break the pattern.

The process is simple, but consistently following it is hard, so be patient if you decide to intentionally try this.

1. Raise your mental awareness by first paying attention to your thoughts. When I notice or “hear” words like “but,” “should,” or “need to,” I know that I’m close to one of these action-stopping loops. By the way, this is one reason meditation is touted to be so powerful: It helps you cultivate awareness. Yet there are other ways too, so pick your favorite method of in-the-moment thought awareness.

2. Tune into your body to feel what these specific thoughts feel like. To me, they feel like tightness in my chest, and I can almost feel myself getting tired from all the thoughts zooming around. Great work; you’re now connected to the present moment.

3. Name what’s happening. I’ve used labels like “Spiral” or “Stuck” to myself. Even “you’re doing that thing again, Adam” works. The word doesn’t matter. The key is doing it without judgment. It’s not good or bad, only something that’s happening.

4. Pause. If you did #1-3, you created a pattern interrupt and broke the loop. Now, you can make a new choice and create a new pathway. Without the awareness from above, you would have kept spiraling, but not now. In my example above, the pattern interrupt came from the song, which I connected to what was happening in my internal world.

5. Get curious about what started the loop. If you allow yourself to be curious about what’s driving the spiral, there's a big ah-ha to be had. My favorite questions are, “What fear just got triggered?” and “What do you believe that might not be true?”

   1. I fear that people think that I’m crazy.

   2. My limiting belief is that there’s a “right” way to do these things, which is tied to another fear that I’ll be wrong.

6. Connect to what actually matters. Now that you know what’s holding you back, you need to get in touch with what you have to gain. This might look like asking, “What do I have to gain?” or “Why does this matter so much to me?” or “Why am I doing this?”

   1. My gain? More people can benefit from my insights.

   2. Why does this matter? I want to powerfully impact people’s future.

7. Act powerfully. This can happen in seconds, and eventually, you’ll be flooded with power that will enable you to align with what truly matters to you, strengthening your brain muscles for when it happens again.

Congrats! Now, give yourself a pat on the back. If you stick with it, this process will eventually take seconds to complete. Remember to stay patient and be kind to yourself when you get started.

What’s next?

Podcast launch: The podcast will go live by Monday across all your favorite listening platforms. You’ll be the first to know, no more messing around. 🚀

It’s time to get social: I need in-the-moment channels to share stories and insights. I’ll try those out next week to see how each feels before deciding what I want to double down on. 😱

Future of this newsletter: I realized that this newsletter is mostly for me right now. It’s for you, too, but you’re giving me so much by allowing me to write to you and experiment in public. 🙏

The reasons it’s for me are that it (1) creates accountability to take action every day and (2) helps me iterate my way to the “final product.” I will continue experimenting with different types of content and ideas. For example, next week, I might try a round-up-style post about what I’ve shared in other places or another post that outlines the first draft of the Full Power Operating System.

In any case, my promise to you is always to deliver some insight or experiment you can try to unlock your full power and potential.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I hope you have a great weekend.