Being stuck is purely self-doubt
Another lesson from a brilliant artist
“A rut or being stuck is simply self-doubt.” Theo Katzman is just as much a philosopher and poet as he is a singer-songwriter and producer.
Most of us can connect with the feeling of being stuck. Stuck in a situation we want to get out of. Being a rut where we feel like we are doing the same old things without any new progress and with diminishing joy. A vision or desire for something more, but feeling stuck in what currently is.
A deeper understanding
Our stuck-ness undoubtedly has external causes. We can entrench ourselves in the mire if we focus solely on those external causes. In order to grab hold of the vine and pull ourselves out, we must take steps to more deeply understand why we truly believe we cannot get unstuck. Why do we believe that we are incapable of creating something new for ourselves? Why do we believe that we can’t possibly bear to wait in this situation until something better opens up? Why do we feel unable to change or alter our daily grind?
This journey can be deep and uncomfortable. When we have to face our own responsibility for our situation, it might hurt.
Yet, when we understand how we are undermining our own progress, we can then begin to take real steps toward combatting this self-doubt.
Self-fulfilling prophecies
If we believe we can’t, we won’t.
Henry Ford was right. Part of the reason we can diagnose a rut as self-doubt is through inverting this reasoning. If we aren’t changing, it’s because we believe we can’t. Our task then becomes to alter our beliefs.
One of the best ways to alter our beliefs is vocalizing them. This is why coaching conversations are powerful. To change a negative statement we make about ourself into a positively oriented question can create a new self-fulfilling prophesy. It moves our attention to proving the self-doubt wrong.
For example: “am I significant?” might be an internal question and belief that I am not. Reframe that to “how am I significant? what is something I can do to make a difference today?” and the answers will chase away the self-doubt.
Go from “what if we fail?” to “what’s the best possible outcome?” and see how your attention, attitude, and actions adjust. (5x alliteration score)