***Feeling Stuck – Shut Up, Stop Whining, And Get A Life***

Now don't get me wrong, I am an extremely patient man by nature, (most of the time) however there are times when patience is not a virtue that I possess.

I would like to let you in on a little secret that will give you a little insight into the title of this article, Feeling Stuck – Shut Up, Stop Whining, And Get A Life. Don't worry, this will be the quick version.

I always knew that I wanted to help people, even from a very early age, I just didn't know what I was going to do to help them, I suppose it's part of my genetic make up, who knows eh?

Lets jump forward 15-20 years shall we? My friends were forever coming to me with their problems, always seeking the benefit of my advice, I had no idea what a vote of confidence this was in my ability to give them actionable advice that they could trust and act upon, I thought they were putting on me for being so darned nice and knowledgeable, which they kind of were, but in the nicest possible way.

When it finally dawned on me that I had spent the large majority of my adult life helping people to deal with situations that they felt stuck in, and couldn't see a way out of, I gave some serious consideration to becoming a counsellor, and I do mean “serious consideration”. Then the fickle finger of fate got involved, or as I like to say, “saved me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my entire life”.

I was coming towards the end of completing my first NLP Practitioner course, and was talking to my NLP Trainer Ellen, I mentioned that I was thinking about doing a Degree in Counselling, when she told me something that I will never forget, partly because it was some of the best advice I've ever been given, and partly because it helped to set me on a path of Personal Development that continues to effect my life to this day.

She said, “Sean, I honestly don't think that you're cut out to be a counsellor, from what I've seen from you over the last 10 days, you are a forward thinking individual, you focus on where you are going, rather than where you have been, that is what coaches do, counsellors on the other hand are forced to relive their clients past on a daily, weekly, and sometimes yearly basis, they have to wear their clients troubles like a coat, it's difficult to deal with your own worries when they are weighing you down, never mind having to deal with someone else's”.

That sentence changed my whole entire life...for the better. It allowed me to see that I was a forward thinking individual, I do believe “it's not where you start, it's where you finish”. I do believe that you should spent your time focusing on where you are going as opposed to where you have been, and I do think that the reason that so many people live lives of quiet desperation is because they spend too much time focused on the ghosts of the past instead of the dreams of their future.

This brings me nicely to the title of this article, if you are feeling stuck in a current situation, then you have my utmost sympathy, and if there is anything I can do to help you then I most certainly will, however if you are stuck because of some issue from your past that is affecting how you live your life in the present and you are allowing it to jeopardise your plans for the future, then I only have one thing to say to you.

“Feeling stuck – shut up, stop whining, and get a life”.