On Being Stuck

This is a great post by old industry pal Rich Oppenheim. On Being Stuck.

The answer - quicksand, mud, freshly poured cement. The question – What are three things that feet get stuck in? We all have times when we get stuck – making a menu choice at a restaurant, selecting a shirt, buying a gift, choosing a movie, asking the commitment question, and so on. We can get stuck writing the letter, email, report, journal, blog, check, to do list. Being stuck is OK. Let me say that one more time – Being Stuck is OK. Sometimes it means that there is fear of making the choice. Sometimes it means we really do not have enough facts. Sometimes we are just not in the mood to make a choice. This is not an attempt at establishing an excuse platform for not moving forward. First, excuses never work. Second, it is absolutely clear that no matter what choose or not choose, we do move forward. The forward move is based on time, not based on making or not making a decision. When we avoid choice, we do not gain potential benefits from the choice. On the other hand, when we avoid choice, we may avoid something bad happening. This combination is called RISK. We do – there is risk. We do not – there is risk. Take a step, stand still – there is risk. Say something, keep quiet – there is risk. It does not matter whether we stay in bed or get out of bed and face the day, there is risk. Risk surrounds everything and everyone. Being stuck is just one of the many ways we face risk in our lives every day. Make a choice - we get a meal, we have a shirt to wear, we can send the gift, watch a movie and get into or out of any commitment. It is called living.