Valorie Burton - Get Unstuck, Be Unstoppable: Step into the Amazing Life God Imagined for You

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover by Harvest House Publishers, Inc., Eugene, Oregom.

Valorie Burton is represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Ste #200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com.

GET UNSTUCK, BE UNSTOPPABLE

Copyright 2014 Valorie Burton

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Burton, Valorie, 1973-

Get unstuck, be unstoppable / Valorie Burton.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7369-5678-9 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5679-6 (eBook)

1. Life change eventsReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Adjustment (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 3. Change (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4509.5.B875 2014

248.4dc23

2014019236

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Contents

A s I write these words, I am picturing you : eyes focused on these pages, your mind hoping to read words that will finally get you unstuck and moving directly toward the sincere desires of your heart. You are smart. Hopeful. Motivated. And one more thing I know about you: The word stuck resonates in your spirit and you wish it didnt . Some part of you, if not every part of you, is tired of being overwhelmed by the multitude of choices in your life, paralyzed by fears that lead you to play it safe, and dreaming big dreams that never seem to be fully realized. You are ready to move forward. Perhaps you just need a few tools to show you how. I am writing this book to help you do just that.

So just what does it mean to be stuck?

Stuck is a pattern of counterproductive thinking or behavior that results in your not moving toward that which you desire. It is typically a result of internalized fear, confusion, chaos, overwhelm, being lost, lack of clarity, or pessimism. By this definition, being stuck is not something that happens one time. If you stumble once, get back up, and move on, you are not stuck. Thats a mistake. Thats life. But if you find yourself repeatedly in similar situations, struggling with similar challenges, then stuck is an appropriate description. Perhaps some of these ring a bell:

Your fear of failure, rejection, or disapproval keeps you from your dreams. Instead, you pursue other goals that feel more attainable or acceptable to others.

Your procrastination habit creates a lot of anxiety. No matter how many times you try to stop procrastinating, you seem to always find something else to do when it comes time to get down to business with that all-important project.

You cant seem to get control over your schedule, but you cannot figure out why. You find yourself regularly frustrated that you cant get places on time, you cant get all your projects completed, and you cant say no to new requests!

You repeatedly find yourself in relationships that are dysfunctional and unhealthy in some way. Even when you meet new people, the relationship may start off fine, but eventually you are disappointed because the same dynamic eventually emerges.

You rarely, if ever, ask for what you want. You take what others offer and then resent that they are not giving you what you want.

You have attempted to break that bad habitovereating, smoking, running up debtbut your efforts only last so long and eventually you fall back into your old ways. You wonder if there is any point in trying to change anymore.

Maybe it is the setback you are still trying to overcome or the decision you now regret that sideswiped you into a ditch. Or maybe there isnt any one event that seems to define your stuckness. Instead, stuck has become a way of life. Youve gotten used to it. You may not even think of yourself as stuck anymore. Youve rationalized that this is just how life is. But deep down, you know you are settlingand youre really not okay with that, even when you try to convince yourself otherwise. You feel a constant uneasinessa lack of peaceabout where things stand in your life. You are somewhat in Gods will, but you want to be perfectly in His willand thats going to mean making some shifts and changes. Since you have taken the step of getting this book and reading these words, I believe you are ready to get unstuck and become absolutely unstoppable. What that looks like, I hope to help you define on the pages that follow.

Like you, Ive been stuck many times.

I write this book to you not as someone who has always been unstoppable, but as someone who has been stuckmany timesand somehow managed to get unstuck. I also write as a coach who has personally helped hundreds of people get unstuck in their careers, relationships, finances, and even weight loss. (Youll read some of their stories in the following pages.) Each and every time, there are principles that must be internalized and embraced. Throughout this book I will reference these principles and show you the way to navigate through them.

People who know me find it peculiar when I share my struggles with procrastination. That is because they see the end result and have no idea of the sticky, counterproductive, self-sabotaging habits I had to overcome to get there. So allow me to let you in on some of my journeythe self-sabotaging, undisciplined, frustrating but common situations I repeatedly found myself in.

I am a recovering procrastinator. I say recovering because I fall off the wagonoftenlike when it was time to write this book. Youd think that by the time an author dives into her tenth book, she has her habits all perfectly in order. I dont. I still have to wrangle that procrastination demon who whispers repeatedly, You can write tomorrow. That deadline is not for a while. Besides, you have more outlining, organizing, and laundry to do. If youve ever found yourself avoiding what needs to get done in favor of somethinganythingelse, even other stuff youve been procrastinating on that now seems easier by comparison, then I bet you can relate. I say yes to the voice of procrastination for a while, but then there is a pivotal moment when I have to turn in the right direction and say, No. There is writing to be done. And I am a writer. I must write. And using the many tools Ill share with you, I do.

I felt stuck in a career that wasnt the right fit. I didnt just have a job, mind you. I owned a business. But I was doing work I wasnt all that crazy about. And I did that work pretty well, which meant people kept asking me to do more of it! I didnt want to admit I didnt want to do it. Through prayer and meditation, I finally discovered what I really wanted to dothe work I am doing right now, inspiring women to live more fulfilling lives. The problem? I couldnt figure out how to make money at it. I mean, theoretically I knew how to make moneysell books and speak for a living. Simple, right? Easier said than done. But by Gods grace and a lot of tenacity, today thats exactly what I happily do for a living. My pivotal moment came one day in the shower. I dragged myself out of bed to go to the office to do work I did not feel like doing, wishing I could write and speak instead. I got into the shower, and uncontrollably, the tears came. The cry of my spirit sounded like a first grader who didnt feel like going to school that day. But I dont feel like going to work! I dont want to.