When we feel stuck and can't figure out the next step,
What are we to do?
Is there such a thing as getting unstuck?
And how do we go about it?
Let's join Paul and Pablo as they explore the surprising nature of our mental blocks and the simple understanding that dissolves them.
Paul and Pablo are in the garden again.
They're done cleaning the chairs and are enjoying an unseasonably mild afternoon playing a game of Uno.
Pablo's just won the first round and while Paul shuffles the deck for their next game,
His son sits back in his chair and takes in the trees and their bare branches with just a few odd buds here and there.
Dad,
He starts,
If we didn't know it's normal for trees to lose their leaves we would think they're dead,
Wouldn't we?
Pablo's question brings Paul back to the previous afternoon.
He'd been busy designing a new logo and had run into a problem when he tried to customize it.
If he changed the format of the wording,
The picture got cropped instead and when he restored the photograph to its original size,
The text annoyingly disappeared.
After a few unsuccessful attempts,
Paul gave up.
He thought,
I'm getting too old for this,
It's too technical,
It's beyond me,
I just can't figure it out.
And then he did what he always did when he was faced with tech issues.
He called Etienne,
His next-door neighbor's son.
Etienne got to work on his computer at home and patiently walked Paul through what he was doing.
And to Paul's surprise,
Etienne's way of going about resolving the issue was pretty much the same as his had been.
The difference was that instead of thinking it was too hard or that he wasn't any good at it,
Etienne persevered and just kept trying one thing after another until the problem was solved.
He didn't stop because the branches of inspiration were bare.
He didn't think it was too hard or pointless.
He kept going because he instinctively knew that spring,
In this case another step,
Would appear in due course.
And it did!
And he got the job done.
Paul,
On the other hand,
Bought into the illusion that the trees were dead and forgot about spring.
After all,
It really,
Really looked that way.
He took his lack of results very seriously and as a sign that he would not be able to fix the problem no matter how hard he tried.
Dad,
I think you've shuffled the deck for long enough now,
Don't you?
Pablo's impatience startles Paul back to the cards in his hands.
You're right,
Pablo,
Answers Paul with a sigh.
I'm sorry.
I was thinking about what you said.
I think it's easy for people to believe the trees are actually dead.
They temporarily forget it only looks that way because it's winter.
What do you mean,
Dad?
Asks our curious Pablo.
Well,
Pablo,
You know that whether it's summer or winter,
Trees carry on growing,
Don't you?
They don't get stuck,
They don't give up,
And they don't stop living just because,
For a while,
There are no leaves on their branches.
But the thing is that we,
As people,
Sometimes seem to forget that it's the same with us.
If we run out of ideas for a bit,
It doesn't mean there won't be any more later on,
Does it?
And just because something we try doesn't go well the first time,
Doesn't mean we won't get inspiration for something new and helpful at some point further down the line.
Pablo,
It's kind of like if babies decided,
When they first started walking,
That standing and moving on their own two feet was a bit too tricky and they just gave up.
What if they decided to abandon the whole thing and then just crawl around instead for the rest of their lives?
Imagine that!
There wouldn't be many human beings walking around on the earth then,
Would there?
The father and son duo can't help but giggle at the thought.
So,
Pablo,
Says Paul,
We don't struggle because of the problems or lack of ideas.
We just forget the truth about winter.
We lose patience and believe we are stuck,
When in reality.
.
.
Dad!
Cuts off Pablo.
You're right!
Wow!
We're like trees!
We are unstuckable!
Getting stuck looks very real when we forget that everything in life comes in cycles.
Even when,
Like trees in winter,
We feel bare and stagnant,
We are still developing and moving forward.
When we remember this simple truth,
Feeling stuck stops being a problem and our mental blocks dissolve like snow in the spring sun.
