Feeling Stuck? It Might Not Be Burnout—It Might Be Misalignment
If you’re stuck, it’s not your drive—it’s your direction.
It started with a banana - one simple banana.
I was standing in the kitchen, holding a half-peeled banana that was rotten and bruised. I start every morning with one before heading to the gym to get my workout in. Knowing I couldn't eat this overripe food source, I needed something.
Eating the banana was a habit; normally, I am more than prepared with at least one backup. But not today.
This morning was like every other morning, nothing dramatic. Just a regular Tuesday. Wake up, coffee, reading, dress, and eat the banana before heading to the car.
But something in me had shut down. Stuck. And not in a burnout way—I’d slept fine, had a clear schedule, and wasn’t overloaded. Why would a simple choice of what to eat instead of a banana throwing my whole day into a tizzy?
Turns out, nothing was wrong. But something was definitely off.
Better Plans, Clearer Goals
We’re told that if we feel stuck, we must be missing something: a better plan, a clearer goal, a stronger morning routine.
That belief is everywhere in the self-help and small business world. Productivity hacks. Mindset upgrades. Strategy tweaks. The assumption? You're broken and need fixing.
But here’s the truth: most people aren’t stuck because they lack tools or drive. They're stuck because they’re pushing toward something that doesn't fit.
Think about it: how many times have you followed a marketing method or built an offer simply because it seemed like the "smart" move? And yet... you drag your feet. You procrastinate. You wonder why you're uninspired. It’s not laziness. It’s misalignment.
The Moment of Truth: It's Not The Banana
That morning, standing in my kitchen holding an inedible banana, I realized this moment had nothing to do with a breakfast choice. It was the last straw in something deeper—places in my life and business where I felt off, misaligned, and quietly frustrated.
So I asked myself:
"What if this isn't resistance, but redirection? What if I’m heading toward something that doesn’t fit me?"
And just like that, the tension snapped into clarity.
I saw how I’d been following someone else’s map—someone who chased momentum for the sake of visibility, who thrived on volume and speed. That wasn’t me. It never had been. And each time I tried to keep up, I chipped away at the parts of the work I actually loved.
Giving myself permission to pause wasn’t just a break—it was a reroute. I didn’t need to burn everything down. I just needed to stop and realign.
A Fresh Take on Getting Unstuck
1. When you're stuck, your body's trying to tell you something
Listening to your body is the best way to recognize resistance. Often, the gut check means that there is a mismatch between our values and our actions.
Conventional thinking says push harder. This mindset says pause and listen.
2. You don't have to follow someone else's path to get where you want to go
The world doesn't need another cookie-cutter carbon copy. The most effective strategy is one built around you. Your strengths and your real-life constraints.
This shift brings balance. You stop chasing. You start choosing.
3. Misalignment shows up as procrastination, dread, and burnout
These aren’t character flaws. They’re signs. When you stop seeing the details of the problems and start looking at them as indicators, you course-correct a lot sooner.
For small business owners, this is everything. It’s how you build a business you actually want to sustain.
Living This Mindset: Real-World Impact
Business Decisions: I now run everything through a "does this feel like mine?" lens. I skip trends that don't fit. I double down on what feels rooted.
Client Relationships: I work with people who value depth, curiosity, and real clarity. We co-create, not just execute.
Personal Wellbeing: I don’t dread Monday mornings anymore. Seriously, because I’m not building a life I want to escape from.
Long-term Vision: Growth isn't about expanding at all costs. It's about expanding what works and pruning what doesn't.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
"What if I fall behind if I stop?"
Reframe: Pausing isn’t falling behind. It’s choosing to move forward on your terms."What if I don't know what I want instead?"
Reframe: That’s okay. The first step is noticing what you don’t want. Clarity follows."But this worked for them, so maybe I just need to try harder."
Reframe: Their path isn't your blueprint. Their success isn’t your destination.
Mindset shifts are slow and messy. Let them be.
The Bigger Journey
You don’t need more willpower. You need more self-trust.
That moment with the banana wasn’t a breakdown. It was a wake-up. The stuckness was speaking. And once I listened, everything got clearer.
You can reorient without burning everything down.
Start by asking better questions. Your business—and your peace—will thank you.
Feel free to share what this sparked for you. I’d love to hear.
And if this resonated, stay tuned: I'm putting the final touches on something new.
The SHIFT Compass is a simple but powerful framework that helps you navigate stuckness more clearly and confidently, without burning out or forcing yourself into unsuitable strategies.
Even better, I’m building a SHIFT Setup Kit to help you map your own path forward, with tools, reflections, and prompts that make it usable—not just inspirational.
Details are coming soon.