7 Lessons That Help You Get Unstuck in Life
A simple guide to rebuilding confidence, momentum, and clarity in your life
By
Josh Felgoise
Nov 25, 2025
The OC
Feeling stuck is one of the most frustrating, draining, confusing experiences guys go through. You do not wake up one morning and suddenly feel lost. It builds. It slows you down. It steals your confidence. It makes you question everything about your life, your job, your abilities, your purpose, and your direction.
This episode broke down what to do in that moment.
These are the seven lessons that can actually pull you out of it.
Lesson 1: Feeling stuck is not a sign you are failing. It is a sign something is shifting.
Most guys panic when they feel stuck. We assume we ruined something, or we missed a step, or we are behind everyone else. But stuck moments are turning points, not punishments.
There is a line that explains it perfectly:
“One day you feel like you know exactly what you’re doing and other days you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing and what you’re supposed to do.”
Feeling stuck does not mean you are doing things wrong. It means you are entering a new phase of self-awareness. Something in your life is no longer matching who you are becoming.
If this feeling is coming from dating or relationships, check out Why Did I Get Ghosted.
Lesson 2: Burnout and lost confidence are connected. One triggers the other.
When guys talk about burnout, they usually think it is just tiredness or stress. But burnout eats away at your sense of ability. It makes you feel small. It makes your world shrink. That is why it blends so easily with feeling stuck.
“Burnout and feeling like you need a break happens around this time every year.”
When you are burnt out, confidence drops fast. When confidence drops, your purpose disappears. And once purpose disappears, you start wondering if you are even on the right path.
If you think your rut is coming from work, check out How To Advocate For Yourself At Work.
Lesson 3: If you are not learning or growing, something needs to change.
Stuck moments always include this subtle realization: you are no longer learning anything from what you are doing. The job feels stale. The routines feel flat. The days feel the same.
And that is the signal.
“If you’re not learning and growing, then you should probably look for something new.”
Growth is not just a buzzword. It is a biological requirement. When your mind stops experiencing newness, your confidence naturally dips because you no longer see evidence of your ability.
If this hits hard with your career, read What No One Tells You About Leaving Your First Job next.
Lesson 4: Your mindset decides whether you stay stuck or start moving.
You can change jobs, routines, habits, or cities, but nothing changes if your mindset stays fixed.
A fixed mindset tells you nothing will ever get better.
A growth mindset tells you things can change if you do.
“A fixed mindset is the idea that your circumstances are your circumstances. A growth mindset is the idea that things can change.”
This shift is not dramatic. It is subtle. It is the difference between saying I can’t and maybe I could.
If overthinking is the thing keeping you stuck, pair this with How Do I Stop Overthinking Everything.
Lesson 5: Borrowed confidence is one of the simplest ways to get unstuck.
Confidence is not something you magically have. It is something you practice. Something you copy. Something you build. And when you do not have any, you borrow it.
“You can actually look at the people who inspire you and take it. You can emulate the things they did when they started.”
Borrowed confidence is not being fake. It is training.
It is modeling yourself after the traits of people you admire so you can practice the version of you that already figured it out.
This is why reading CEO memoirs, listening to interviews, or following people whose careers you admire is powerful. It is not about them. It is about reminding yourself what is possible.
If you want to practice this in dating, check out How To Have A Great First Date.
Lesson 6: Confidence is a choice you strengthen through repetition.
This is the part guys never hear growing up. You are not born confident. You do not wake up one day fully confident. Confidence is decisions. It is self-belief practiced daily.
“Confidence is a choice. You can wake up and decide to be confident until you get the hang of it.”
Confidence is built through action. Through a pattern of small moments where you choose to believe in yourself even when you do not feel like it.
If mornings are where your spiral starts, combine this with the grounding habits inside How Do I Stop Overthinking Everything.
Lesson 7: Feeling stuck for too long is your signal that something in your life has expired.
Ruts are normal. Everyone hits them. But if the feeling has been around for weeks or months, something deeper is going on. You have outgrown something in your life, and your mind is trying to tell you.
“If you’ve been feeling stuck for a while now, it probably means it’s time for your very own change.”
This is not about blowing up your life. It is about honesty. It is about admitting you need something different. It is about giving yourself permission to want more.
Where To Go Next
If you want the narrative, emotional, story-driven version of this, read the full Feature Article next.
If you want the actionable version, keep going to the Practical Q&A.
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