Are You Part Of The "Collective Stuck"?

The collective stuck—that's what I'm calling it these days. It's the large group of people that feels stuck in our society. They’re waiting for the dopamine hit. They’re waiting for the big event, for the fairy godmother, for their luck to change, for the stars to align—whatever it is, they're just waiting for that thing that will pull them out of this funk.

Lack Of Excitement = Feeling Stuck

They call it inertia. When you feel stuck, you’re looking for that something that will push you out of this dark place, and once that happens, you’ll start to feel happy again.

Millions of people are struggling with anxiety and depression in this country. But the “collective stuck” is something different. It’s a separate phenomenon. Sure, there might be some overlap, but just because you feel stuck doesn’t mean you’re depressed.?

If you don’t feel excited for anything anymore, you’re probably part of the “collective stuck.” Maybe you’ve been feeling this way for a while. Maybe you can't imagine things are going to get better. You’re just stuck and you wait—you hope—for that thing that will come on the scene like a burst of excitement again, like a dopamine hit.

Career Dissatisfaction Might Be To Blame

As a career coach, I work with thousands of people who feel stuck on a daily basis, and the reason can usually be traced back to career dissatisfaction. Over 70% of people feel stuck in their careers right now. There’s a crisis of purpose and people want to figure out how work fits into their life, but they don't know what to do. They're stuck.

The truth is there isn’t one big thing you can do to improve career dissatisfaction.

If you don’t want to feel stuck anymore, you need to focus on daily habits and small goals. You need to work on your career every day, which is why I called my company Work It Daily. It's the little things you do that make a big difference.

In the beginning, these small actions feel so insignificant that you don't even get the dopamine hit you’re looking for. But these little things build upon each other when you do them consistently. Then all of a sudden you realize, “I've moved forward. Things have gotten better. I've seen results,” and that's when the spark hits. But you don't get to that point until you start doing the little things.

How To Get Out Of The “Collective Stuck”

If you think you’re part of the collective stuck, and especially if you're unhappy in your career, here's what I want you to do to get out of the “collective stuck.”

Take five minutes out of your day to learn something new. Do this daily. Watch a video, read an article, listen to a podcast—whatever it is, just commit to doing this activity for five minutes a day. Five minutes seems pretty manageable, right? It doesn’t seem like enough time to learn something. But five minutes over 10 days is 50 minutes. And before you know it, you're changing. You’re improving. You’re getting unstuck.

Need help getting out of the “collective stuck”? Check out Work It Daily’s 3-day FREE trial!

Do something for your career today to get unstuck. Sign up for a Work It Daily membership, watch a few courses, and take advantage of some of our free resources. Make investing in your career a daily habit and see how it changes your life. Just give it a try. You won’t regret it.?