There’s a video on YouTube about two professionals on an escalator. Within the first 5 seconds of the film we see the escalator suddenly stopping halfway to the next floor. Thinking they cannot go anywhere, they start calling for help and decide to wait for someone to fix the escalator. "Whoa, that's not good!" says one. "Oh, I don't need this!" says the other. "Somebody will come," the first replies.

When nobody does, one of them yells out, "There are two people stuck on an escalator, and we need help!" The other person screams to the top of her lungs. You get the idea – instead of walking up the stationary stairs to where they need to be, neither of them see past the situation and resign to the idea that they are stuck and cannot move forward until someone rescues them. 

The video makes a powerful point of how we oftentimes fail to recognize our capabilities and instead rely on external forces to help us move along in life. We either fail to exercise our self awareness or our creativity to see what is no longer working and explore options that we can do to overcome a situation. It applies to how we’re stuck with our repeated New Year resolutions, our recycled life goals, or our constant but never achieved hashtags for self development.

How do we get off the escalator? Being stuck is an inner feeling, it feels stagnant, immobilizing, and sometimes even oppressive. It can be uncomfortable and lead to feelings of sadness, depression and helplessness. But being stuck “on an escalator” serves a purpose. It is fertile ground for transformation to occur. It tells us that a change is needed – most especially, an internal change. Here are some ways to get unstuck –

1. REFLECT. Your first step towards making any change is to acknowledge that things actually need to change. You need to figure out why you are stuck—that is, what is the root of your discontent? Unless you acknowledge that things aren’t the way you want them to be at this very moment, then you’ll have no reason to change, and therefore no reason to break out of this stagnation. As the saying goes – identifying the problem is half of the solution.

2. MAKE A SMALL MOVE Once you have acknowledged that changes need to be made, take the risk to make a small move and out of the rut. Change stimulates different parts of the brain that improve creativity and clarity of mind. You can start small by changing your daily routines, moving things in your house, or making new friends. An accumulation of small movements and changes will help you start feeling unstuck.

3. SET A GOAL If you know your Point B, you’ll want to continue moving forward wherever you are in that escalator. But it has to be an exiting goal, something that inspires you and takes your mind off your current challenge or unstuck moment. Make it something that you’re intrinsically passionate about, and something you will fight for despite the obstacles you might face. A clearly defined and passionate goal may be all you need to help break free from your stuck state.

Being stuck is often a symptom that our lives are about to change or that some kind of change is needed. In order to get unstuck permanently, we need to build ongoing momentum that removes us far beyond your current state, and this begins with reflection, action and direction.