Ever feel like you're just spinning your wheels in life? Yeah, me too. Sometimes it feels like everyone else is speeding ahead while you're stuck in the mud, wondering if you’ll ever catch up. That feeling of not making progress can be heavy. It can make you question everything. But I want you to know you’re not alone in this and there’s always a way forward.
It’s easy to look around and compare our behind-the-scenes struggles with everyone else's highlight reels. Social media doesn't help. It often shows a polished version of life making our own efforts seem small or insignificant. But progress isn't always a giant leap. Sometimes it's a quiet shuffle forward that no one else even sees.
Understanding That Stuck Feeling
Feeling stuck is a common human experience. I’ve certainly been there. Our founder, Stephen Montagne, talks openly about his own periods of feeling completely adrift. For years he battled gaming addiction, binge eating, and a general sense of laziness. He felt trapped in a cycle of unhealthy habits. He knew he wanted more from life but figuring out how to get there felt overwhelming.
Maybe you can relate. Perhaps it’s a career that feels like a dead end. Maybe it's a health goal that seems impossible to reach or a bad habit you just can’t shake. This feeling often comes from a few places:
- Unclear goals: If you don’t know where you’re going any road will do or none will seem right.
- Fear of failure: This can paralyze us stopping us from even trying.
- Comparing ourselves to others: This is a sure way to feel inadequate.
- Feeling overwhelmed: When the mountain seems too high we might not even take the first step.
Redefining What Progress Looks Like
Often our idea of progress is skewed. We think it has to be big dramatic and fast. But real lasting change usually isn't like that. Stephen didn't lose over 110 pounds overnight. He didn't conquer his unhealthy habits in a week. It was a journey of small consistent steps.
Think about it. Progress is often invisible in the short term. It’s one healthier meal choice. It’s resisting one urge to light a cigarette. It’s choosing a 10-minute walk over an hour of scrolling. These small actions might not feel like much at the time but they add up. They build momentum. They create new pathways in your brain and new habits in your life.
The Power of Tiny Wins
Stephen often says that celebrating small wins was crucial for him. When you’re facing a huge challenge like losing a significant amount of weight or breaking a deep-rooted addiction looking at the final goal can be daunting. But focusing on the next small win makes it manageable.
What could this look like for you?
- If you want to eat healthier maybe a small win is adding one extra vegetable to your dinner tonight.
- If you want to be more active perhaps it’s doing five push-ups or walking around the block.
- If you struggle with procrastination maybe it’s working on a task for just 15 minutes.
Acknowledge these small victories. Pat yourself on the back. This isn't about being perfect. It's about being persistent. Each small win builds confidence and makes the next step a little easier.
Building a Life-Supporting Routine
Many people think productivity means working 8 or 10 hours straight. Stephen found that wasn't true for him. He discovered that short bursts of focused deep work usually 2 to 4 hours a day were far more effective. This allowed him to make significant progress on his goals without burning out.
A routine doesn't have to be rigid or complicated. It's about creating a structure that supports your well-being and your goals. It could be a simple morning routine that sets a positive tone for the day or an evening routine that helps you wind down. When life feels chaotic a good routine can be an anchor. It automates some decisions freeing up mental energy for the things that truly matter.
Stephen’s journey involved building routines around exercise healthier eating and even his spiritual practices. These routines weren’t punishments. They were tools he used to build the life he wanted.
Finding Strength and Purpose
For Stephen strengthening his Christian Orthodox faith was a game-changer. It gave him a deeper sense of purpose and a source of strength to draw on during tough times. When he felt overwhelmed or tempted to fall back into old habits his faith provided an anchor. He found that a closer relationship with God helped him see beyond his immediate struggles and focus on a bigger picture.
Your source of strength and purpose might be different. It could be your family your community your passion for a cause or your connection to nature. Whatever it is connecting with something larger than yourself can provide incredible motivation and resilience. When you have a strong "why" the "how" becomes easier to figure out.
Gratitude: The Attitude Shifter
Another practice Stephen adopted that made a huge difference was daily gratitude. It sounds simple perhaps even a bit cliché. But consciously acknowledging the good things in your life even when things are hard can profoundly shift your perspective.
When you’re feeling stuck it’s easy to focus on what’s wrong or what’s missing. Gratitude helps you see what’s right and what you already have. It doesn't mean ignoring your problems. It means balancing your perspective. Stephen found that starting or ending his day by thinking about what he was thankful for helped him maintain a more positive outlook and stay motivated.
Practical Steps to Get Unstuck
Okay so how do you start moving forward when you feel like you’re in quicksand? Here are a few simple ideas:
- Identify one small thing: Don’t try to change everything at once. Pick one tiny area you want to improve. Just one.
- Set a micro-goal: Break that one thing down into the smallest possible step. If you want to write a book your micro-goal might be to write one sentence today.
- Track your progress (no matter how small): Keep a simple journal or use an app. Seeing even tiny improvements can be incredibly motivating.
- Be kind to yourself: You will have setbacks. Everyone does. Don’t beat yourself up. Learn from it and gently get back on track.
- Connect with your "why": Remind yourself why you want to make this change. Write it down and keep it visible.
Remember Stephen’s journey. He faced immense challenges from addiction to significant health issues. He didn’t overcome them with one grand gesture. He did it through daily choices consistent effort and a willingness to keep going even when it was hard. He focused on what he could control: his next small action his attitude and his faith.
Feeling like you’re not making progress is frustrating. It can even be painful. But it’s not a permanent state. Progress is always possible. It might just look different than you expect. It’s in the small choices the tiny shifts and the quiet moments of perseverance.
So I ask you: What’s one tiny step you can take today not tomorrow but today to move just a little bit closer to where you want to be? Take that step. You might be surprised where it leads.
