#3 of 3-post “Starting Something New” series

At every end of each step, we have to deal with the “So, what’s next?” question, which means the possibility of being paralyze is there — EVERY SINGLE TIME.

What are you going to do then?

I just started this journey and answered my first “So, what’s next?” question. Recently, I was in the middle of conquering the “Now what?” question where I almost got stuck, but thanks to these three activities, which I am going to share with you, for saving my sanity. Here we go:

Self One-on-One

Yes, this is a “Question and Answer” portion with yourself. The goal is to extract whatever ideas and thoughts lurking inside your brain. One answered question could lead to another question then another answer, then another question, so on and so forth. 

You are a sane person ok, believe me. But most of the time, the ideas you need, the answers you are looking for, are just there, in your mind, lingering, waiting for you to discover. So do not underestimate this process. You will be amazed at how helpful this is for you.

Here’s a trick *whispering* write it down. Yes, write it down! Seeing your thoughts materialize into text could help you think it through further. It doesn’t have to be an actual pen and paper. It could be on your computer or on your phone, wherever you are comfortable with, just write it down.

It is also a good way to practice and improve your thought process. Try it!

Ask Google

If you are not content with the results of the “Self One-on-One”, here’s another activity for you to try: ASK GOOGLE. You read it right! Whatever questions you have in mind, type it in and hit search! That is one of the advantages in this era. We have the internet. We are connected. Information is just one click away. And the possibility of what you are doing or trying to do was already done by others, is huge. They already walked that path. If you are lost and don’t know what to do, you can follow that path, learn from their mistakes and tweak it as needed. Instant plan!

Let’s not forget to leverage our advantage!

Call-Whomever-You-Trust

If the first two didn’t work and things are still blurry, it is time to use your call-whomever-you-trust privilege. Have someone you could talk to, exchange opinions with and can challenge your ideas. Philippa Perry once said, “two brains are better than one..” It has its own advantage so don’t be shy to ask.

Just be cautious. Use their opinions, ideas and thoughts to support yours, not to drive it.

There it is! Every time you feel stuck, begin with these three simple activities. I’ll tell you, it sounds easy but it is not, especially if it’s your first time doing this. You might reach a dead end and feel lost, feel stuck. Just continue. Go on a detour or have a stopover if necessary but don’t quit — until you get the hang of it. Then the rest would be easier. You’ll see.

Good luck!