5 Tips To “Unstuck” Yourself

“I feel stuck, like I’m in this hole that I can’t get myself out of.”

Ah yes, isn’t life great?

Just when you think you have it all figured out, life throws you a curveball and you’re rethinking your whole game plan.

And sometimes it’s not those unexpected curveballs that throw you through a loop, sometimes it’s the lack of anything actually happening.

It’s like you feel stuck in neutral and just can’t seem to put it in drive.

Or maybe you’re stuck in neutral on a hill, slowly finding yourself rolling backwards instead of forwards.

Either way, it’s not fun to feel “stuck”.

But here’s the thing, that’s exactly what it is–A FEELING.

You aren’t actually stuck, you just feel like you are.

I think one of the primary purposes of the human experience is to grow in self awareness.

And once you become more self aware of your thinking, emotions, and how much potential you actually have, you’ll feel like you have the whole world at your fingertips!

I’ve felt stuck plenty of times in my life, but as soon as I got myself out of the mental funk I was in, I felt like my life was just getting started.

And when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up!

Here are my 5 tips to helping you get “unstuck”:

1. Surround Yourself With Others Who Push You

We are a product of our environment and the people we surround ourselves with the most.

Your parents, friends, spouse, coworkers, etc. all have impacted the way you think and view life.

Just like the saying goes: “You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”

So be selective about who you hang around.

If you don’t have solid people in your life that push you to level up in every possible way, then get out there and make those connections.

Don’t expect your life to be any different next year if you’re still hanging around people who are coasting through life and not encouraging you to be better.

Think about it this way: All it takes is ONE connection to change your whole life.

One person can offer you an opportunity that can change the whole trajectory of your future.

Reach out to people with a service mindset, expecting nothing in return and watch some magic happen.

2. Choose To Live An Intentional Life

If you feel stuck, there’s a good chance you’ve spent way more time consuming content and scrolling on Instagram instead of getting out there and taking action.

Here’s a thing to remember–Action takers are the people who make the world go round.

They may fail 10 times, but they take action until it works!

If you find yourself reacting to your day instead of choosing to be proactive, make that change right now.

Be intentional about how you live each day and what you spend your time doing.

Make a plan and stick to it!

3. Always Be Working On Your Mindset

There are two types of people in this world: Scarcity minded people and abundance minded people.

Which category are you in?

Almost without fail, those I personally know who seem to struggle (with things that are in their control) are those who have a scarcity mindset.

They often view life as something you react to more than anything else.

And sure, there are plenty of things that life gives us that we never asked for.

But we have the power to choose how we think, which in turn, leads to how we take action, if any action at all.

If you’re frustrated about life, I would first suggest you make a habit of taking a few moments to list off what you are grateful for and just watch that frustration and anger melt away!

Then choose to cheer others on just as much as yourself.

This will slowly adjust your thinking from scarcity minded to an abundance mindset.

4. More Spontaneity, Less Autopilot

If your days blend into each other and each day feels the same, then change it up!

I think we sometimes find ourselves doing what we’ve always done and expecting a different result.

Sometimes taking a step back and thinking things through can make all the difference.

Being spontaneous and doing something you normally don’t do is a great way to do this.

Changing up your routine with something fresh and new can help you mentally remove yourself from the situation and open your eyes to new ideas and experiences.

5. Take More Imperfect Action

Reality check–We’re all just trying to figure it out.

No one has their life all put together, no matter how they portray it on social media.

Everything may look cinematically perfect on the outside, but in reality, their BTS (Behind the Scenes) is a mess.

And that’s how life really is.

When you feel stuck, taking those first few steps can be messy, but consistent Imperfect action will get you farther than the occasional perfect action.

I like what Bohus Bohunicky said:

So instead of obsessing over taking the perfect first step, just take a step!

Do that consistently and expect your life to change for the better.

You got this👊🏻

-Landon

PS - Clark Kegley’s video about being “stuck” was a good watch. You can check out the full YouTube video HERE.

With more and more people finding the need to create content for themselves, learning how to film yourself cinematically can help separate you from the crowd. Full Time Filmmaker’s latest YouTube video on 10 insightful tips for filming yourself cinematically is packed full of ways to level up the way you present yourself on camera.

These tips are meant to give you professional looking results that keep the viewer engaged. Even if you’re just filming on your iPhone, you’ll learn the importance of experimenting with different camera angles, getting creative, and continuing to improve your craft. This video is just a glimpse of what is offered in the full Full Time Filmmaker course. Check out the video and let us know if you got any value out of it!

CREATOR SPOTLIGHT

From Camcorder To Full Time Videographer

The story of Jay McNiven

I first started making videos in Highschool when I played soccer and made trickshot videos and random videos with my friends using my family’s old camcorder. Using my iPhone 4s, camcorder, and old GoPro I’d put together small edits and clips on Power Director 12 (I think). Fast forward a few years to college, all my roommates had dirt bikes and would be out riding all the time. I wasn’t on their level of riding so I chose to get a canon 80d Video kit and became the house videographer. During this time I went to a tech school teaching digital media design, that taught the basics of photo, video, photoshop and more, essentially what anyone can learn for free on YouTube now. 

One year later I upgraded my camera to a Sony a7iii and started to take on some wedding clients. I taught my girlfriend (now wife) how to take photos and we together started to shoot weddings. Through some networking and random connections, I landed a job with an accounting firm that had a successful business podcast as a videographer and produced 50+ podcasts. It was during this time I signed up for FTF and learned a ton about lighting and audio. I then moved to the Salt Lake area and worked for a D2D company as the sole creative doing photo, video, and design. 

I currently work for a company in Lehi, UT as head videographer on the creative team. My wife now takes WAY better photos than me and she runs her own successful photography wedding business with 2023 as her first full time year doing over $100k in revenue. I love taking on freelance gigs and filming gym/powerlifting content. My biggest goal for 2024 is to separate my 9-5 work from my own personally creative work, chasing after the projects I’ve put on hold for the last few years. I have tons of random abstract videos I want to make and several documentary style films I want to start and each fires me up!

What advice would you give to someone getting started?

For the early filmmakers out there, create for passion. It’s pretty awesome if you can find a job opportunity that lets you use a camera, but if the work isn’t something that fires you up, you’ll eventually grow tired of it and get bored. It’s crucial to work on projects (even outside of a 9-5) that get you excited, that you lose sleep thinking about. Also, your filmmaking career will only grow as far as your network allows. Constantly find ways to grow your network. You could be the best in the world, but you won’t get hired if people don’t know you’re the best. “It’s not what you know or who you know, it’s who knows you.” 

Check out Jay’s Instagram HERE and his wife’s website HERE.