To Get Unstuck, You Must Take Action: The Power of Small Steps

The Paradox of Being Stuck

Have you ever felt completely stuck? That sensation of knowing you need to move forward but feeling paralyzed by indecision, fear, or simply not knowing which direction to take? It's a frustratingly common human experience—one that affects us all at various points in our lives.

Here's the paradox: When we feel most stuck, action is precisely what we need, yet it's also what feels most difficult to take.

As a coach, I've witnessed this countless times. My clients arrive feeling immobilized by life transitions, career decisions, relationship challenges, or personal growth hurdles. The weight of uncertainty creates a kind of paralysis that makes even small movements seem impossible.

But here's what I know to be true: To get unstuck, you must take action—but that action can be incredibly small.

The Physiology of Stuckness

When we're stuck, it's not just a mental state—our entire body responds. You might notice a heaviness in your chest, tension in your shoulders, or a knot in your stomach. Perhaps your breathing becomes shallow, or you feel a persistent fatigue that no amount of rest seems to address. This physiological state is your body's wisdom communicating through sensation.

These physical manifestations are completely natural. Your nervous system responds to uncertainty by entering a state of caution—sometimes even freezing. In evolutionary terms, this response protected us from potential threats. In modern life, it can manifest when facing life's complex crossroads.

Emotionally, stuckness often brings companions: frustration, self-doubt, shame, anxiety, or a persistent low-grade dread. You might oscillate between overthinking and numbing out, between frantic worry and complete avoidance. Even 'stuckness' can manifest in a myriad of different ways.

It's important to know: these experiences don't indicate weakness or failure. They are normal human responses to life's complex challenges.

What's problematic isn't the experience of stuckness itself, but rather the patterns we sometimes develop in response:

• Waiting passively for someone else to tell us what to do

• Seeking quick fixes that bypass the necessary inner work

• Expecting perfect clarity before taking any step forward

• Believing we should always know exactly what to do

• An inability to ask for or seek out support

The path forward isn't about eliminating the discomfort of stuckness—it's about learning to take small, meaningful actions while experiencing it. This is a crucial life skill that no one teaches us formally, yet it's essential for resilience and growth.

When we acknowledge the physiology of stuckness with compassion, we create space to work with it rather than against it. A Small Pause here can help us notice these sensations without becoming defined by them.

The Power of Micro-Actions

When we're stuck, we often imagine that getting unstuck requires a dramatic change—such as quitting our job, ending a relationship, or moving across the country. While sometimes big changes are necessary, they rarely need to be our first step.

Instead, I invite you to consider the transformative power of micro-actions:

• A single deep breath when you feel overwhelmed

• A five-minute journaling session to explore one aspect of your stuckness

• A brief conversation with a coach, therapist or trusted friend about what you're experiencing

• Taking a different route on your daily walk to shift your perspective

These tiny movements might seem inconsequential, but they create momentum. Like a spacecraft using minimal fuel to adjust its trajectory, these small shifts in your daily life can lead to entirely different destinations over time.

The beauty of micro-actions is that they bypass the brain's fear response.

When we contemplate major change, our protective instincts kick in, flooding us with worst-case scenarios and "what-ifs." But small actions fly under the radar of these fear responses. They're manageable, doable, and present minimal risk.

Finding Your Next Small Step

When working with clients facing stuckness, I often ask: "What's the smallest possible step you could take that would move you in a helpful direction?"

Notice I don't ask for the "right" step or the "perfect" step—just a helpful one.

This question invites us into the power of the Small Pause—that mindful moment of reflection where we connect with ourselves and our values.

Within this pause, we can tap into our intuition and wisdom about what might constitute a meaningful next step.

Some examples from real clients include:

• Setting a timer for 15 minutes to research one aspect of a career change

• Writing down three qualities they appreciate in themselves when feeling self-doubt

• Spending five minutes visualizing how they'd like to feel in their relationship

• Taking one item off their overwhelmed schedule to create breathing room

What's striking is that these small actions often create immediate relief. The act of movement itself—regardless of the specific action—shifts our psychology from a state of helplessness to one of agency. This is a very important thing to realize.

The Momentum Effect

Small actions build on each other. Each step creates energy for the next one. I call this the momentum effect.

When we take one small action, we prove to ourselves that movement is possible. This builds confidence. The next action becomes slightly easier, which builds more confidence, making the next action even more accessible.

This gradual acceleration is far more sustainable than forcing ourselves into massive action when we're feeling stuck. Burnout and exhaustion aren't the goals—sustainable progress is.

Remember: rivers cut through mountains, not with sudden force, but through consistent motion over time.

Values as Your Compass

When considering what small action to take, our values serve as an essential compass. Actions aligned with what matters most to us naturally feel more meaningful and energizing.

This invitation to explore your core values more deeply is a crucial step in becoming unstuck and living a purposeful life. Understanding what truly matters to you provides clarity about which small steps will be most meaningful.

If you'd like to explore your values more thoroughly, I've created a guided workbook called "Getting to the Heart of Your Values" that walks you through this important self-discovery process. This resource has helped many of my clients gain clarity about their direction, making those small actions much easier to identify.

Download the "Getting to the Heart of Your Values" workbook here and give yourself the gift of clarity about what matters most to you.

Practicing Gratitude Along the Journey

As you take these small steps forward, practicing gratitude can amplify your progress. Gratitude helps us recognize the movement we're making and the resources available to us.

When feeling stuck, we often hyperfocus on what's not working or what's not happening. Gratitude gently shifts our attention to what is working and what is happening, however small.

My "30-Day Gratitude Journal" offers a simple framework for cultivating this practice. Just a few minutes each day can significantly shift your perspective and energy as you take those small steps forward.

Download the "30-Day Gratitude Journal" here to support your journey of unsticking.

The Small Pause Practice

At the heart of taking practical, small actions is the practice of the Small Pause—that mindful moment where we step out of autopilot to choose our next step consciously and aligned with how we want to walk in this world.

The pause itself is the gateway to this powerful process. It creates space between stimulus and response, between feeling stuck and reacting to that feeling. In this space, we access choice, wisdom, and possibility.

To support your practice of the Small Pause throughout your day, consider exploring the mindful products available in our Online Small Pause Shop. From journal cards to apparel with mindful reminders, these tools help integrate the power of the pause into your daily life, making those small actions top of mind whenever you need them.

Your Invitation

Today, I invite you to identify just one small action you could take to address an area where you feel stuck. Remember, it doesn't need to be the perfect action—just a helpful one that moves you.

Share your small action in the comments below if you'd like support and accountability, or simply hold it in your heart as you move forward.

Remember, rivers cut through mountains not with sudden force but through consistent motion over time. Your small actions matter more than you know.

What small step will you take today?