Some Real Talk today about feeling stuck – stuck in a rut, scale being stuck, body not cooperating, or maybe your eating or drinking habits are on repeat (in NOT a good way), whatever it is…let’s just say for example, that your weight is stuck…
How do you get unstuck?
#1a – You need to take 💯 responsibility that it’s YOUR choice to be stuck and then #1b – decide to not be stuck anymore.
It’s that simple. (It’s not easy, but it IS that simple.)
Doing the same thing over and over is called a pattern. And these patterns are doing nothing to help you achieve what you desire for your life.
Staying stuck in a pattern is a choice – just as much as it’s a choice to go through the McDonald’s drive through, or to skip your walk or workout, or to overspend, or to stay up late, or to eat (or drink) all the things.
So why do you choose stuck? Why does it feel so automatic?
It’s a reliance on our survival physiology and subconscious.
You ARE wired to survive – and the primitive part of your brain – the amygdala – the limbic system – your lower, base self – is what wants to drive your auto-pilot thoughts, feelings and actions much of the time.
I’ve called this part of the brain the “Protector” – also known as your inner child, inner critic or even your inner demon 😈…
This voice chatters away in the background – all day long and maybe through the night too…warning you about all the potential worst case scenarios.
‘She’s’ the one who tells you it’s NOT happening. It’s never gonna happen. It’s not going to work. You might as well quit. You’re not doing it right or your not good enough. It’s too hard and scary.
She generates fear based thoughts that lead you to doubt yourself.
She doesn’t want you to change – EVER.
She’s happy running that ticker tape of criticisms all day long so that you don’t get ahead of yourself…so that you don’t change or grow. She likes you to play small and safe and STUCK.
How do I know this inner voice so well?
Well, ‘she’s’ been a BIG part of my journey!
And believe it or not, I’m so grateful for ‘her’, because NOW I can see her cunning, fear provoking, sneaky ways popping up in other areas of my life – like right here – in my work.
I invite you to shine some light on your inner critic… 🔦
Always know that it’s a choice to give her center stage. That’s what ‘SHE’ – this part of you – wants more than anything.
My visual which I love to share is taken from Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert: Picture that you’re going on a road trip (representing your life). See your higher Self lovingly strapping ‘her’ into her baby car seat in the back seat – where she’s not allowed to touch the steering wheel. Heck, she can’t even touch the radio or air conditioning. She’s ONLY there if something should ACTUALLY go wrong (which is very very rare).
DECIDE that: This part of you no longer drives anything else in your life.
Instead, your Higher Self, the pre-fontal cortex is what you want to activate more and more. She’s your Inner Rockstar – fearless, confident, focused and full of joy and wonder.
She doesn’t get stuck in the drama or doubt.
She appreciates the birdsong and sunshine. She trusts that God has her back…she’s fully supported and she trusts that everything’s going to be OK.
She knows that if she’s not happy with something in her life – her circumstances, her body, her relationships, her patterns – that all she has to do is decide to change them and the wheels are in motion.
She creates.
She aims to bring light to everyone she encounters.
She finds the right people to help her – the like minded people to be around – the tribe that lifts her up.
She changes things up with her environment, her diet and lifestyle. She’s got a vision for her life. She ain’t messin’ around. She’s getting it done.
If you’re feeling stuck with your weight, your health, your life, know that you can rise above your small, scared self and tap more into your Higher Self.
YOU CHOOSE.
You have to decide to put your Negative Nellie, your Debbie Downer, your Peggy Paranoia – your Protector – your old stuck patterns, stories and attachments to bed.
DRIVE YOUR LIFE FORWARD…lovingly stick her^ in the back seat – and let your Inner Rockstar drive that car. (Jesus take the wheel! < This works for me too!)
Here are a few key steps you can start taking today. You can write these down and take some time reflecting and answering them:
- Identify the stuckness. What’s draining you, worrying you, frustrating you?
- What’s happening over and over that you can’t “fix”?
- What CAN you change? (Keep in mind, you can’t change other people or the circumstances in your life…You can only change how you think about them and how you impact or influence them.)
- What do you need to accept right now that you may be resisting or avoiding?
- Decide to PRACTICE making 1-3 small changes in this area this week or month. Visualize how you want life to be and CHOOSE IT! DECIDE to meet that vision. ‘Feel the high vibe feels’.
- Be very aware of that inner critic or protector…she WILL pop in and she very likely will be quite adamant and compelling. Put her in the back seat! “Thanks, Sweetie! But I’m not letting you drive today! “
- Take action. If you can shift something you’re doing yourself – do it – OR invest in getting help and accountability from an expert that’s aligned with you.
- Rinse & repeat….This work is simple but it takes LOTS of practice to master! Research shows it takes 10.000 hours to become an expert – to master any skill. Give yourself that amount of time if necessary. (#grace)
xo,
Ev
