Getting stuck is one of those inconvenient truths about life. We all “end up in the ditch” from time to time. Sometimes we do not plan well enough and sometimes we are blindsided. Sometimes we zig when we should have zagged and sometimes, no matter what we do, we just get stuck.
Marlene and I have done a lot of beach driving in search of those little brown and gray birds that scurry along the surf. I usually do the driving so that she can keep an eye out for our critters. We have driven the beach along a good part of the upper Texas Coast, and yes, we have gotten stuck! Despite being a very cautious driver, I have miscalculated my way into soft sand. When I had a 4-wheel drive jeep I was not as concerned, but I learned that any vehicle with tires can get stuck.
Beach driving has taught me that getting stuck and getting unstuck are two very different things. It is very easy to blame our getting stuck on someone else. But, such blaming is ultimately self-defeating. We do not have much control over “someone else” and so in blaming them we are giving them the power to hold us captive in our stuckness. And we may then blame them not only for getting stuck but for being stuck. “They caused it. They have to fix it!” I learned this while sitting with my truck wheels sunk up to the axles in soft beach sand. The facts were, I was stuck and I was not going anywhere. The only real question was do I want to stay stuck or do I want to get unstuck? Blaming had nothing to do with resolving this question.
This is where we need to take responsibility for our stuckness. Not necessarily for getting stuck. Stuckness happens. But we need to accept responsibility for our remaining stuck. Responsibility means we have the ability to respond. If we can change the situation then we are responsible for doing so. This may involve digging yourself out or getting help. If you are remaining stuck in your life; if you just cannot seem to get ahead; if you are not happy and feel frozen in place; it is time to accept your remaining stuck and begin doing what is necessary to get yourself free from being stuck.
Simply to reiterate, getting stuck happens. Staying stuck is a choice. Choose well!
Marlene and I have done a lot of beach driving in search of those little brown and gray birds that scurry along the surf. I usually do the driving so that she can keep an eye out for our critters. We have driven the beach along a good part of the upper Texas Coast, and yes, we have gotten stuck! Despite being a very cautious driver, I have miscalculated my way into soft sand. When I had a 4-wheel drive jeep I was not as concerned, but I learned that any vehicle with tires can get stuck.
Beach driving has taught me that getting stuck and getting unstuck are two very different things. It is very easy to blame our getting stuck on someone else. But, such blaming is ultimately self-defeating. We do not have much control over “someone else” and so in blaming them we are giving them the power to hold us captive in our stuckness. And we may then blame them not only for getting stuck but for being stuck. “They caused it. They have to fix it!” I learned this while sitting with my truck wheels sunk up to the axles in soft beach sand. The facts were, I was stuck and I was not going anywhere. The only real question was do I want to stay stuck or do I want to get unstuck? Blaming had nothing to do with resolving this question.
This is where we need to take responsibility for our stuckness. Not necessarily for getting stuck. Stuckness happens. But we need to accept responsibility for our remaining stuck. Responsibility means we have the ability to respond. If we can change the situation then we are responsible for doing so. This may involve digging yourself out or getting help. If you are remaining stuck in your life; if you just cannot seem to get ahead; if you are not happy and feel frozen in place; it is time to accept your remaining stuck and begin doing what is necessary to get yourself free from being stuck.
Simply to reiterate, getting stuck happens. Staying stuck is a choice. Choose well!
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