It began with a Google search at 2:17 a.m.
“Why am I stuck in life?”
I wasn’t expecting much. Maybe a motivational quote or a listicle with tips like “drink water” and “make your bed.” But that night, something felt different. The kind of stillness that isn’t peaceful — it’s heavy. Like being awake inside a paused movie.
If you've ever been there, you'll know: this kind of stuckness doesn’t shout. It whispers. You go through the motions — work, study, reply, scroll — but somewhere beneath it all, something feels like it’s waiting. Watching.
You’re not broken. Just still.
The Story We Tell Ourselves
This is the part where logic quietly steps aside.
We don’t always make decisions based on what’s best — we follow patterns, playbooks, inherited expectations. We choose the career that looked shiny from a distance. The life plan that made sense on paper. And then, without realizing it, we keep living it long after it stopped fitting.
But the real battle isn’t in the outside world. It’s the quiet voice inside that asks:
“What if I’m not brave enough to change?”
We wear titles like armor — Doctor. Manager. Artist. The one who always made the right choices. And over time, we become so skilled at performing the role that we stop asking the most important question:
Do I still want this?
The Illusion of Movement
We scroll, we apply, we plan, we talk. It feels like action. But not all motion is progress.
Sometimes, we’re busy avoiding the next real step. We research instead of deciding. We tweak plans instead of starting. We look for “signs” instead of listening to what we already know.
Getting unstuck begins when we stop waiting for clarity and start creating it — through action, not overthinking.
Ever felt like you’re running in circles? You're doing things — working, studying, planning — but deep down, something feels... stuck.
And no one tells you how common this feeling is — especially for people who are ambitious, creative, or in the middle of transition.
But Here's What They Don’t Tell You
Getting stuck doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means your mind is negotiating with your heart — and they haven’t come to terms yet.
You tweak your CV. You read another book. You rewatch that TED talk. It feels like progress. But you’re orbiting. You’re not landing.
And deep down, you know the truth:
You already have enough clarity. You’re just afraid of what acting on it might change.
Why We Really Get Stuck
Not because we're lazy. Not because we’re incapable.
We get stuck when:
We're afraid of failing in public.
We care too much about what others will say.
We don’t want to disappoint someone we love.
We’ve tied our identity to a path that no longer fits.
Or we’re just exhausted, and haven’t had the space to think clearly.
Recognizing the real reason is half the work.
So Let Me Tell You a Secret
The people who do move forward? They’re not braver. Not smarter. Just slightly more willing to begin.
They don’t wait for the fear to leave. They invite it in and act anyway. They take one real step — a decision, a call, a new page — and that’s what breaks the loop.
In Rowling’s words,
“It is our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Here’s What Helped Me
Start ugly. Forget perfection. Begin anyway.
Shrink the goal. Don’t change your life. Change your hour.
Talk aloud. Your mind will surprise you when you hear it in your own voice.
Change your scenery. New surroundings ignite old parts of you.
Do the hard thing first. You know which one.
The Real Magic
You’re not stuck because you don’t know. You’re stuck because you do — and change takes courage.
But courage is just action in the presence of fear.
And that, my friend, is where all stories begin.
I stumbled upon this quote randomly on social media and it hit me really hard.
In the war of egos, the loser always wins. (Buddha)
Until next week,
– Dr. Haris Ghole