When You Don’t Know What To Do

It’s the worst feeling in the world.

No matter how bad things get, if you have a plan, you have hope.

No matter how cold, gruelling, painful or awkward the action is going to be, it’s reassuring that you can still act.

But not knowing what to do means you don’t have any choices you believe in. It’s paralysis and despair. Believe me, I know. I’ve been there a few times. It’s the closest I’ve been to a breakdown.

I crawled my way out of those situations, mostly with help from people close to me and sheer incredible luck.

Next time, I’ll know what to do. And so will you.

Three unbreakable truths from the pit of despair

Now matter where you find yourself, no matter how lost you may be, there are three rocks you can cling to:

One: You always have options

(Even curling up in the fetal position is an option. It will give you time to think, and maybe some badly needed rest.

Two: When you don’t know what to do, there are no wrong choices

Three: Action feels better than inaction

Just pick an option (you always have options), commit to your choice (there are no wrong choices), and do it.

You’ll feel better right away, and that’s not all.

Action brings results. Results bring insight. Eventually you’ll find your way.

Overcoming Fear Paralysis

The human brain is wired to see problems, obstacles, and reasons not to do things.

As soon as you commit to an action, you’re going to think of all the ways it could go sideways. That fear is meant to protect you. Most of the time, it just paralyzes you. It will tell you a dozen different ways you could fail.

So you know what? Commit to failure. If you’re already miserable, there’s no extra harm in failing miserably.

Failing is better than not trying, so give yourself permission to fail.

Then go out and do it.