One of the great things about coaching is that you get to meet clients at different places in their life. Some of my clients are doubling down on their success while others are trying to accelerate their trajectory, and still others are totally stuck and not sure of what's next.
Stuck, Lost, Spinning
For founders and ambitious outliers, feeling lost is especially disorienting. You're wired to power forward, smash targets, and pursue audacious goals. But when your product fails, your co-founder leaves, or your project bombs, that momentum crashes to a halt.
In these moments, you typically react in one of two ways:
First, you might frantically search for the next big thing to tackle. Some massive new goal to chase. But rushing into ventures that don't truly fit you leads to dead ends and wasted energy.
Or second, you freeze. Recent setbacks have shaken your confidence, and the thought of another big goal feels overwhelming. You've lost sight of what matters to you. So you procrastinate, drift, and beat yourself up about it.
So what's the answer?
You have to reset.
When a gymnast crashes on a difficult skill or gets the twisties, no coach throws them straight back into advanced moves. Instead, they follow a proven path: rest, recover, then rebuild.
The progression is deliberate. Say you crashed on a full twisting double layout. You start fresh with a basic back tuck into the foam pit. Then onto crash mats. Slowly, methodically, you build back up: back layout, single twist, double tuck, full twisting double, double layout, and finally, that full twisting double layout again.
The same idea applies here.
Cut back your time frame. Stop thinking 10 years out, or even 1 year out. Think in terms of weeks or even days.
Start with the next hour. What's one small thing you can accomplish? Maybe it's sending that email you've been avoiding, or spending 30 minutes on that presentation outline. Just one focused block of productive work.
Then expand to tomorrow. Map out three key tasks you'll tackle. Keep them concrete and achievable. This isn't about changing the world - it's about proving to yourself that you can execute consistently again.
By next week, you might be ready to take on a small project. Reach out to 10 targets in your area of interest. Make something small using the new technology or hardware you're playing with. Something meaningful but manageable. The goal isn't to revolutionize your industry just yet - it's to rebuild your momentum and confidence through steady progress.
This incremental approach might feel slow at first. Your ambitious mind will resist it. But like that gymnast rebuilding their routine, you have to trust the process. Each small win compounds. Each productive day strengthens your foundation, builds back your belief that you can do hard things.
Before you know it, you'll be ready to think bigger again. But this time, you'll have a proven system for breaking down and tackling ambitious goals, piece by piece.
Remember: Getting unstuck isn't about forcing massive change overnight. It's about patient, deliberate progress. One hour, one day, one week at a time.
