Roy "*'ing" Kent Helped me Write This

(Not really, but kind of. And maybe don't click on the first Roy Kent clip below if you haven't finished Ted Lasso.)

Happy Thursday!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the teaser for this week’s newsletter, where I talked about feeling stuck and shared my strategy for getting unstuck - I run, walk, or do yoga. I also asked what you do when you’re stuck. (Let me know below!)

Confession:

I had no idea about what I was going to say on that reel until about five minutes before I shot it.

So there I was… stuck, talking about being stuck. It was a reel within a reel.

However, I didn’t really let on that I was stuck… because, at the time, I was basically flying by the seat of my pants and too focused on that to appreciate the irony of the situation.

So, I simply talked about being stuck (easy enough to do) and trusted I’d figure out where I was going with it a bit later.

Thankfully, I had some revelations after my post-reel run.

Photo by Chris Andrawes on Unsplash

Revelation 1:

Sometimes we’re so stuck we don’t even realize we’re stuck.

Revelation 2:

Sometimes the situation making us stuck (job, relationship, life purpose) can feel so heavy that we can’t talk about it, much less come up with a solution.

Or, quite often, we don’t want to talk about our situation because we associate being stuck with a similar-sounding word.

Suck. (Give me some credit.)

We think we suck because we’re stuck.

We might even get embarrassed about being stuck and wonder:

• Why can’t I figure this out?

• Why am I in exactly the same spot I was last year at this time?

• Why are others succeeding, and I’m still just ________?

Revelation 3:

Because of 1 and 2, we can stay stuck for years.

In fact, feeling stuck can become almost a way of life.

All of these revelations lead to What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week:

If we’re feeling stuck,

maybe we should stop worrying about how to get unstuck…

and start asking ourselves what’s keeping us there.

Are we like Roy Kent, stuck in our own $%&!? (Don’t watch this clip if you haven’t finished the series.)

Or, more like this podcast guest on the Jasmine Star Show, who got fed up with living small and being stuck and asked herself, “What am I doing with my life?” She stayed stuck until she finally declared, "I’m sick of being stuck!”

Whatever the case, I think getting to the bottom of the problem always helps.

With that, let’s get to the bottom of this issue.

Abbey

P.S. Be sure you stick around until the end; I may have an answer regarding being stuck.

P.S.S. Don’t cheat and skip all the good stuff in the middle… lots of fun discoveries for you.

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LISTEN:

• One reason you might feel stuck is that you’re doing something others think you “should” do rather than living the way you want to live - personally or professionally. Author Laura Belgray knows this, as being authentically herself is the secret sauce to her writing success. I’ve talked about Laura’s newsletter before, but she’s worth listening to again. Her unapologetic and authentic approach to her career and life is a great example of avoiding feeling stuck. Give How to Build a Powerful Connection with Your Audience with Laura Belgray a listen. (It’s great even if you don’t have an audience!)

• I don’t know about you, but I feel less stuck when I’m enjoying my life. Chris & Lori Harder have some great advice on making the most of your time in this episode of Earn Your Happy.

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WATCH:

• If you follow me, you know I love Spain and dream of one day living there for part of the year. The question is, where? Well, another Spain lover I know clued me into For 91 Days - a website and YouTube, Instagram, FB… the works. The two guys behind the platforms spend 91 days in various places around the world to see what it’s really like to live in each place. You get a local’s perspective from an outsider.

• Traveling this summer? It’s always nice to know a few travel tricks. This YouTuber has some tips and hacks for easier travel.

• Speaking of tips, how about “12 Ways to Level Up Your Summer Streaming” - complete with tips on how to monitor kids’ streaming habits, download movies for travel, and stay up to date on new releases?

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EAT:

• It’s summer, it’s hot, and that means salad is a great dinner option. Check out Chanty Marie’s amazing vegan salads and dressings. DELICIOUS.

• Also, because it’s summer, let’s grill. I’m going to try this grilled tofu and these easy black bean burgers.

• Last week I talked about a great new wellness company I recently discovered called For Wellness. Find out what I thought of their magical Recovery Gummies, great coffee, Super Focus Bites, and The Good Stuff by clicking here. (Spoiler, I love them all!)

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ON A SERIOUS NOTE:

Do I have a magic bullet for getting unstuck?

While for a minute I thought maybe my magical Recovery Gummies could help, it turns out not.

So, no, I don’t have a solution for you (or me).

But I do have a thought.

I’ve found that the more authentically I live my life, the less stuck I feel.

For example - while I had a lot of good years teaching, made amazing friends, and taught some really great kids - I felt stuck. The more I taught, the more I realized it wasn’t a fit for me. Now, away from a structured school schedule and creating my own schedule as a freelance writer… I don’t feel stuck.

I feel like an authentic version of myself.

Does one have to make a huge career move to get unstuck? Make other drastic moves?

No, but my experience taught me one thing - we must listen to our inner voice.

That voice has the answer, and it’s not going to go away.

Also, that voice is smart.

It knows why you’re stuck.

But getting to the bottom of why we’re stuck (and then taking action) can get messy.

And uncomfortable.

This is why we often ignore the voice, accept being stuck as our status quo, and adopt the motto, “It’s okay; my life is fine.”

Well, I can’t leave you with fine, so I’m going to leave you with some advice from Roy Kent. It applies to a variety of situations.

Get unstuck,

Abbey