Never feel “stuck” again

A doctor must locate the source of the issue before they can prescribe an effective treatment. A pilot must find the source of the issue before they can securely stabilize a malfunctioning aircraft. You must identify the source of your issue before you can get yourself out of an ineffective position.

Issues can show up within you at many levels. It helps to have a map of the levels within your control where problems appear. There are six main levels.

1. Awareness
2. Understanding
3. Decisions
4. Actions
5. Consequences
6. Adjustments 

Here’s a brief description to help you identify which level you’re experiencing an issue:

1. Awareness: you don’t know what you don’t know—ignorance, either chosen or natural.
2. Understanding: you’re aware that you don’t know or only know a little. You lack clarity of understanding and have lingering confusion.
3. Decisions: you know and understand, but you hesitate to decide.
4. Actions: you know, you understand, you’ve made the decision, but you hesitate to act on it.
5. Consequences: you know, you understand, you’ve made the decision and put it into action, but the consequence has been undesirable, unexpected, or unrealized.
6. Adjustments: you’re struggling with how to adjust to the consequences you’re experiencing, unsure whether to stay the course, alter the approach, or change directions entirely.

Keep this list and the descriptions readily available to review whenever you feel stuck, frustrated, lost, unsure, or doubtful. Start with awareness and work your way down. Identify the level of the issue, address it, and move forward. Do not sit still in chosen ignorance and lingering confusion.

Identify. Prescribe. Solve.

Brick by brick. Do the work.