The hole I got stuck in
A couple of weekends ago Michael and I had a surprisingly adventurous weekend. We had planned to four-wheel drive the hilly remote section of a family farm and stay in a hut with no reception about an hour from civilization. The drive out there can be hair-raising but I was feeling under control with a top speed of 20km and forgetting that there were any gears above second. That was until one relatively gentle hill where the sun was in my eyes and I swerved to miss a log only to drive straight into a hole two metres deep and three wide. We were well and truly stuck with only two wheels left on the ground. To cut a long story short after two hours of lifting rocks and some creative problem solving we got out.
Why am I telling you this?
After we got out of this hole it dawned on me that there are several similarities between that physical stuckness and the feeling of stuckness that we can often experience in our lives. The feeling of stuckness could be stuck in a rut of unhealthy thought patterns, stuck not knowing what decision to make next or stuck people pleasing.
What are these similarities?
We got out of our hole by building a bridge from rocks. We worked together lifting boulders neither could lift on their own and asking for help when one was too heavy. What I realised is asking for help was the only way out. When we are forced to ask for help we relaise how necessary it is. The lesson here is don’t wait to be forced, ask for help early, save yourself time, and in our case your back!
After an hour lifting rocks, we tried unsuccessfully to drive out of the hole and were running out of options. This was until Michael suggested we try lifting the ute with the jack and placing more rocks under one of the tires, something he had heard about. It worked and we got out! When we are stuck in hole it can feel like there is no way out. We can forget that we have been stuck before and others around us have been stuck and we can try what they did. Next time you are stuck in a hole realise you might just have access to all you need.
Being an hour from civilisation with no reception Michael and I couldn’t complain, who was going to listen to us? Besides, we could either complain or just get on with it. The same goes for getting stuck in our lives. We can complain but the reality is most people will choose not to listen. Choosing to complain over taking small steps forward doesn’t get you unstuck.
If you are stuck right now remember you have probably been here before, ask for help now and take small steps forward. Getting out of the hole is closer than you think
If you are stuck and looking for support reach out to see if 1:1 coaching might be for you.