What To Do When You’re Feeling Paralyzed
Case Study
Matthew was running a property management business… but emotionally, he was dead.
The stress piled up, and suddenly, the thing he was always great at, selling, became the thing he couldn’t get himself to do.
He’d stare at the screen, try to hype himself up… and just shut down.
Six months passed like that.
Until we had a session together where he understood one key thing about how his brain was working, and the fire got lit again.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Matthew had, came from a weak thinking skill of blocking.
Blocking
Blocking is when you have a wall in your brain, and you feel like you can’t go through.
Matthew mentioned this wall (without knowing the official term) the first time we spoke.
The opposite of blocking is perseverance, you push through when things get hard.
The thing we’ve got to understand about Matthew is that it’s not that he didn’t want to push through, he literally felt like he couldn’t.
In his words, he was paralyzed.
A Word on The Words You Use
So the first thing I had him do was change how he spoke about himself.
I wouldn’t let him say "I'm paralyzed" because the words we use have a massive impact on our actions, and without even realizing it, it would paralyze him.
Instead, he switched it to “Selling is very hard for me right now, but I will figure this out.”
This already got the gears in his brain turning on what was possible.
Two Solutions for Every Problem
For every problem we have, we need 2 solutions:
1) Short-term strategy to help yourself right now.
2) Long-term strategy so you don’t have to deal with this again and again in the future.
Short-term strategies are great because they help us get moving, and they give us the solution right now.
Usually they go by “hacks” or “tricks” to help us in the moment.
The problem is that the moment we stop doing the short-term strategy, we’re back to square one; that’s why we need the lon strategy to solve the problem forever.
Getting Momentum
If you’re feeling very stuck and can’t move forward, you first need a short-term strategy to help you get the momentum going. You need a solution for right now.
Matthew has made very few sales in the past 6 months.
He needs money now.
He needs a solution for right now, and then once things are calmer, he can talk about a long-term solution.
Matthew had the idea of hiring someone to sit down next to him, to give him the numbers, and he’ll do the cold calls.
This assistant will write down all the information, update the CRM, and give him another number.
While this is not a long-term solution (because the moment that person isn’t there, Matthew struggles to make the calls), it’s a great short-term solution for him right now.
About a month later, when things were in a better place, we were able to solve the root issue, work on a long-term solution so Matthew doesn’t have to be reliant on other people (and he ended up making even more money because he was able to move a lot faster without being reliant on his assistant)
Your Challenge
If you’re feeling stuck, or maybe even paralyzed like Matthew, there’s a good chance you’re struggling with blocking.
You’ve got 2 challenges this week:
1. The first thing you’ve got to do is change the words you are using.
Don’t lie to yourself. Just make sure you’re words are helping you in the direction you want to go.
2. Then take the time to come up with a short-term strategy.
Something that’s not gonna be forever but will help you right now.
If you’re feeling stuck on what can be a short-term strategy, send me a DM on LinkedIn @ST Rappaport and I’ll help you work through it.
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
ST Rappaport, Brain Engineer for ADHDish Business Owners
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to get more done in less time.
Most business owners want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you optimize your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Thinking Skills Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
How much are your
Thinking skills costing you?
This calculator will figure it out for you in less then 5 minutes.
What To Do When You’re Feeling Paralyzed
Case Study
Matthew was running a property management business… but emotionally, he was dead.
The stress piled up, and suddenly, the thing he was always great at, selling, became the thing he couldn’t get himself to do.
He’d stare at the screen, try to hype himself up… and just shut down.
Six months passed like that.
Until we had a session together where he understood one key thing about how his brain was working, and the fire got lit again.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Matthew had, came from a weak thinking skill of blocking.
Blocking
Blocking is when you have a wall in your brain, and you feel like you can’t go through.
Matthew mentioned this wall (without knowing the official term) the first time we spoke.
The opposite of blocking is perseverance, you push through when things get hard.
The thing we’ve got to understand about Matthew is that it’s not that he didn’t want to push through, he literally felt like he couldn’t.
In his words, he was paralyzed.
A Word on The Words You Use
So the first thing I had him do was change how he spoke about himself.
I wouldn’t let him say "I'm paralyzed" because the words we use have a massive impact on our actions, and without even realizing it, it would paralyze him.
Instead, he switched it to “Selling is very hard for me right now, but I will figure this out.”
This already got the gears in his brain turning on what was possible.
Two Solutions for Every Problem
For every problem we have, we need 2 solutions:
1) Short-term strategy to help yourself right now.
2) Long-term strategy so you don’t have to deal with this again and again in the future.
Short-term strategies are great because they help us get moving, and they give us the solution right now.
Usually they go by “hacks” or “tricks” to help us in the moment.
The problem is that the moment we stop doing the short-term strategy, we’re back to square one; that’s why we need the lon strategy to solve the problem forever.
Getting Momentum
If you’re feeling very stuck and can’t move forward, you first need a short-term strategy to help you get the momentum going. You need a solution for right now.
Matthew has made very few sales in the past 6 months.
He needs money now.
He needs a solution for right now, and then once things are calmer, he can talk about a long-term solution.
Matthew had the idea of hiring someone to sit down next to him, to give him the numbers, and he’ll do the cold calls.
This assistant will write down all the information, update the CRM, and give him another number.
While this is not a long-term solution (because the moment that person isn’t there, Matthew struggles to make the calls), it’s a great short-term solution for him right now.
About a month later, when things were in a better place, we were able to solve the root issue, work on a long-term solution so Matthew doesn’t have to be reliant on other people (and he ended up making even more money because he was able to move a lot faster without being reliant on his assistant)
Your Challenge
If you’re feeling stuck, or maybe even paralyzed like Matthew, there’s a good chance you’re struggling with blocking.
You’ve got 2 challenges this week:
1. The first thing you’ve got to do is change the words you are using.
Don’t lie to yourself. Just make sure you’re words are helping you in the direction you want to go.
2. Then take the time to come up with a short-term strategy.
Something that’s not gonna be forever but will help you right now.
If you’re feeling stuck on what can be a short-term strategy, send me a DM on LinkedIn @ST Rappaport and I’ll help you work through it.
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
ST Rappaport, Brain Engineer for ADHDish Business Owners
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to be more efficient and effective.
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you rewire your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
How much are your thinking skills costing you?
Find out by using this calculator (for free!)
