Albert Einstein supposedly said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By that definition, most of us are functionally insane when it comes to our own problems. We keep running on the same mental hamster wheel, exhausted, wondering why the scenery never changes.
Welcome to Stuckdom. It’s cozy here, in a terrible sort of way. It’s familiar. But nothing grows in Stuckdom.
Why We Solo-Struggle (The Everest Trap) We have an obsession with American individualism. We think if we are stuck, we must have broken something, and therefore we must fix it alone in the dark so no one sees our shame.
But here is the reality: As a challenge gets bigger—like navigating a mid-career pivot or overhaul deeply ingrained habits—the need for teamwork increases. You cannot summit Everest alone. You need a sherpa; you need someone holding the rope. Trying to “self-help” your way out of deep stuckness is often just productive procrastination.
The Possibility Pivot When you’re stuck, your brain is obsessed with limits. “I can’t do that because of money/time/fear.”
We need to pivot to Possibility Thinking. This isn’t toxic positivity; it’s strategic questioning. It means being good enough to yourself to stop looking at the locked door and start looking for a cracked window.
- Instead of: “I’m stuck in this job.”
- Try: “What is one possibility, no matter how small, that exists outside these four walls right now?”
The Goodness of Getting Help There is a certain goodness—a moral integrity—in admitting you don’t have all the answers. It’s kinder to yourself to ask for directions than to keep driving in circles until you run out of gas.
Getting unstuck requires a new map. And sometimes, you need a co-pilot to help you read it.
If you feel like that hamster on the wheel, running fast but going nowhere, stop running. Step off the wheel. Let’s look at the map together.
Click here to book a strategic “Unstuck” call. We’ll identify the mountain you’re trying to climb and who you need on your rope team to get to the top.
Your Biggest Cheerleader,
The Eve Speaks Team
