Navigating Change Archives

Feeling Stuck: How to Break Free and Move Forward

We’ve all been there—trapped in a cycle of uncertainty, feeling stagnant in life, work, or relationships. Feeling stuck can be frustrating, but it’s also a signal that something needs to change. Here’s how to break free and move forward with confidence.

1. Identify the Source

Before making changes, understand what’s causing you to feel stuck. Is it your job, routine, a relationship, or your mindset? Often, internal barriers like fear and self-doubt play a role. Reflection can provide clarity on what’s holding you back.

2. Shift Your Mindset

Your thoughts shape your reality. If you constantly tell yourself that you’re stuck, you reinforce that belief. Instead, shift your dialogue to something more empowering like, “I’m in a phase of transformation” or “I’m figuring things out.”

3. Take Small Steps

You don’t need drastic changes to create momentum. Even small actions—updating your resume, starting a hobby, or seeking advice—can make a significant difference.

How to Use Your Body Compass: Navigating Life with Intuition and Awareness—Part 2

by Nancy Harris 1 Comment

In Part 1, I discussed what your body compass is and how it can be your best tool for creating an authentic and inspired life. This is a life aligned with your soul’s purpose and your unique reason for being here. It’s my belief, the body speaks the voice of the subconscious mind which always knows what’s best for us. I often say to my clients, “The mind lies, but the body always tells the truth.”

The sooner you learn to listen to the truth, the more authentic and aligned your life will be.

Here are some tips:

1. Listen to Your Gut Feelings

The phrase “trust your gut” exists for a reason. The gut is often referred to as our “second brain” due to its vast network of neurons and its connection to the nervous system. When faced with a decision, pay attention to how your stomach reacts. Does it feel tight and uneasy? Or light and relaxed? These physical responses can help guide your choices.

2. Observe Your Posture and Energy Levels

How to Use Your Body as a Compass: Navigating Life with Intuition and Awareness—Part 1

by Nancy Harris 1 Comment

When I trained as a Life Coach with Martha Beck, PhD, much of the focus was on how to guide clients to make the most authentic life choices that ultimately lead them down the path to their highest destiny. Who doesn’t want to feel at the end of their days that they fulfilled their mission or purpose and lived their best possible life? This is where learning to use the body as a compass can literally save your life.

The problem is no one really teaches us how to do this.

What I have seen as a coach and therapist is that most of us spend the first few decades of our lives, fulfilling social and familial expectations and as a result doing lots of self-betrayal and self-abandonment in the process.

What does this look like?

How Tough Times Can Lead to a Quantum Leap in Growth

by Nancy Harris Leave a Comment

It’s been a tough January here in Colorado and much of the US. Bitter cold and gray skies have kept many of us housebound and more sedentary than usual. We all know it will pass, but how we deal with these brief challenges can reflect our coping skills in general.

How Tough Times Can Lead to a Quantum Leap in Growth

Life often throws challenges our way—those moments that feel insurmountable, where the light at the end of the tunnel seems impossibly distant. Yet, what I’ve seen repeatedly as a life coach is, that tough times are not just obstacles but opportunities for transformation and growth. Let’s look at how adversity can catalyze a quantum leap in personal and professional development.

The Pressure That Creates Diamonds

The saying “pressure makes diamonds” isn’t just a cliché; it’s a powerful metaphor for growth under challenging circumstances. Just as carbon transforms into a diamond under intense pressure and heat, individuals and organizations often find their true potential when faced with adversity. Challenges force us to:

Innovate: When traditional methods fail, we’re compelled to think outside the box.
Adapt: Survival often hinges on our ability to pivot quickly and embrace change.
Resilience: Overcoming hardships builds mental toughness and emotional fortitude.

Whose Life Are You Living?

by Nancy Harris Leave a Comment

In the book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, by Bronnie Ware, she discusses what most haunts those actively dying about how they ultimately spent their time on earth. What do you think is the number one regret? It is something I can vouch for as someone who has talked with hundreds of people over the past twenty years about their lives.

Bronnie found that the number one regret of those dying, is not living life according to one’s own terms. Essentially that means making choices in life to please others rather than listening to one’s own heart.

Bronnie states it as: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

I see this pattern in almost every client in one form or another. We’ve all been there, right? Can you relate?

This can be the client who married a partner who needed caretaking because that was her role in her family as a child. Then at age 50, she realizes she never pursued her own career or dreams.