Living Intentionally Personal Growth

3 reasons to take a detour when you’re feeling stuck [VIDEO]

May 20, 2014

In the spirit of trying something different, I’m sharing a video with you today. In it, I share 3 reasons to take a detour when you’re feeling stuck.

They are as follows:

1. You’ll experience increased energy

It’s so easy to fall into a rut and continue doing what we’ve always done, even when we’re frustrated and not getting the results we want.

I have a home office which I often work out of. While I love the convenience of working right from home, sometimes I can go a little stir crazy not leaving the house.

When this happens, I’ve found it’s really helpful to get out of the house and work from somewhere else, like a nearby coffee shop. It gets me out of my funk and gets my energy back up again.

2. You may find a better way of doing something

Many times, when we try something a different way, we’ll find a better way of doing it.

I teach guitar and, with one of my students, a book I use a lot wasn’t working well. Rather then keep trying the same thing over and over again just because it had worked it the past, I found a new book, one I had never used before.

My student responded very well to it, and we’re making great progress now.

3. You’ll get moving again 

For about 5 years before going into business for myself, I commuted about an hour to and from my job in Philadelphia. When I hit bad traffic on the freeway at a particular bottleneck, I’d often take the next exit and go back roads instead.

It felt so good to get out of the congestion and get moving again! And this was true even when the alternate route was farther and perhaps even took longer than sitting through the bottleneck.

There you have it. 3 reasons to take a detour when you’re feeling stuck. What about you? Have you found taking a detour to get you unstuck? Leave your reply in the comments of the post. I’d love to hear it!

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  • Ann Musico May 20, 2014 at 7:44 am

    3 great reasons and a wonderful video Michael. I agree – changing things up helps get the creative juices flowing. I do some of my best thinking when I’m walking one of the local trails instead of chained to my computer and trying to make something happen.

    • Michael Good May 21, 2014 at 11:53 am

      Love it, Ann. Yeah, you can’t force creativity. I know this is true for me at least!

  • Donna Yates May 20, 2014 at 8:12 am

    Michael,
    You spoke to me today. I’ve been stuck with my online vintage business. Seems this year the sales are really low in spite of me doing exactly what I’ve done in the past. I’ve been mulling ideas of what I can do to ramp up the business or if it’s time to change up the whole idea. It’s a process but thanks for the push.

    • Michael Good May 21, 2014 at 11:54 am

      Sure thing, Donna. Keep reiterating, you’ll get there!

  • Bruce R. Cross May 20, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Michael – great post and again, a kick in my pants to deal with a certain issue I am facing. It seems as if we are thinking along the same lines as I posted something similar last week….if you care to check it out go to:

    http://brucercross.com/is-there-something-keeping-you-stuck/

    • Michael Good May 21, 2014 at 11:51 am

      Thanks, Bruce. And that is a CRAZY story with your ER visit. Glad things are on the mend!

      • Bruce R. Cross May 21, 2014 at 11:54 am

        The whole STUCK theme is rampant; also on Strength Leader (Deb) as well. I hope you were able to chuckle; not funny at the time, but is now!

        • Michael Good May 21, 2014 at 11:57 am

          Right, I imagine it wasn’t! Phew!

  • Joe Lalonde May 20, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    I think taking a detour also helps you change your thinking. Because you’re not going the same route, your brain has to think differently. Nothing better than that!

    • Michael Good May 21, 2014 at 11:52 am

      Absolutely, Joe. New sights, new smells, new encounters… all lead to new ideas.

  • Ryan Ash May 27, 2014 at 12:09 pm

    I’m a bit late on this one, but great thoughts! And I love the video in the email.

    • Michael Good May 27, 2014 at 12:45 pm

      Hey thanks, Ryan. I appreciate it!