Feeling Stuck?

Feeling stuck is sink or swim time. If we use this time to answer a higher calling, we can serve as an inspiration to others. 

The fastest way to get going again when we feel stuck is to do something for someone else. A good deed. Something small or something large. It doesn’t matter. Doing something for others helps you “get over yourself” quickly.

I saw this happen to a friend: I had gone to Houston to organize a big event. It was a charity project. My friend came from New York to help with the advance work. She was suffering a broken heart. I’ll never forget the moment she stopped, looked up at me and said, “This is incredulous. I don’t feel any pain.”

Doing something for someone else can warm your heart.  (Actually.) It releases oxytocin, a hormone that strengthens your heart both physically and emotionally.

My first book, “To Lead is to Serve” has been a bestseller in the nonprofit world for 30 years, probably because it makes this point: When you serve others, don’t be surprised that it serves you too. As St. Francis said, “It is in giving that we receive.” 

Often, what we receive is a pathway out of our stuck-ness.  
What do you do to get going again?