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CAREER Up Against A Wall To Move Forward? Here Are Five Ways To Break Through  By Dave CourvoisierVoice Actor & TV News Anchor You're there - standing right in front of it, and it appears immovable. There's no way around it and no way over it. Chances are, you have created the wall yourself, so it's insidiously
well-designed to foil any attempts to find a weakness. You know
yourself too well.
MANY KINDS OF WALLS "The Wall" takes one of two or three forms: 1) A mental roadblock you've nurtured into a full-fledged fortress. 2) A procrastination that seems larger than life after weeks ‘n’ weeks. 3) A circumstance that befuddles you or is beyond your skill set. Tell me if I've forgotten something. Either way, the result is the same: arrested development, zero progress, stagnant growth. BREAK THROUGH TO OTHER SIDE It's time to punt. Everything you've tried - or haven't tried - isn't
working. Be honest enough with yourself to admit it and take action
(finally) to break the logjam. Here are five suggested formulas to conquering your "wall." 1. Talk to a friend or even better, a mentor - or
two. Talking through the issue helps. The conversation opens up ideas, offers encouragement, and gets the juices flowing. It could be that your friend or mentor has been there, and has a possible solution, or knows someone who does. You'd be surprised - if nothing else - how talking
about it takes the power out of the quandary. 2. Break it down to smaller steps. Try for a couple of smaller "wins" first, then build on them. Make your list of the most
elementary incremental advances, then revel in crossing each one off
with a big thick felt-tip marker. 3. Turn the issue upside down or work backwards. Imagine what you're doing or able to do once your roadblock is gone. See all the potentials and developments that come from it. Or imagine the very last step you would take before climbing the wall, then imagine the step before that and so forth, until you arrive at the place
where you are today. Now, do you see the way? 4. Go out and play. See a hilarious movie. Take
an old friend out and crack open some old stories. Read a short book. Break the cycle. Hit the period on your keyboard. Strike out in a new
direction entirely for a day. Take a drive. Divert your thoughts from
the issue for an hour, a day, a week - refuse to think about it. Then
come back around and try again. 5. Service. Nothing breaks your pity-pot more than
doing something for someone else. No other action resets your gauges
better than offering a humble, free, pro-bono service to somebody,
anybody who can use a hand or a boost. When you take your mind off your
own troubles and focus on helping someone else, it's cathartic. TURN WALLS INTO BRIDGES Honorable mention: Walls are bridges. As trite as
it sounds, conquering the wall puts another feather in your cap, adds
another tool to your toolkit, and makes you a stronger person. When you
"cross over" that wall, it becomes the path to a new you - a better
you for having seen it through. Bravo! SOME CAVEATS A couple of caveats: There may not be an answer. It may have nothing
to do with you and what you did or didn't do. Sometimes you have to
realize you've been banging your head against the wall for too long, and
then you have to accept that your own stubbornness, not the wall, is getting in the
way of your progress. The wall can be there to tell you
you've reached a limit, and realizing your limits is not a bad thing. It's like
pulling your head out of the sand. What have I missed? What’s worked for you? Got a quick anecdote you can share? ABOUT DAVE ... Dave Courvoisier ("pronounced just like the fine cognac, only no relation") is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, voice actor, and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. He's become the voice over industry's social media tech guru, and writes Voice Acting in Vegas, a daily blog of adventures and observations in a style that's true to his friendly Midwestern farm roots. Email: CourVO@CourVO.com Web: www.courvo.com Blog: www.courvo.biz TV bio: KLAS-TV bio link |
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Thanks Dave! :)
Jane
At the end of every year over the holidays, I spend some time reviewing and establishing goals for the next year, what I would like to accomplish and more importantly, why. As the year progresses and roadblocks come up, distractions and sidetracks occur, it's always helpful to review those goals and get back on track with why I'm doing what I'm doing (or attempting to do what I'm doing). This has always been a good tool and a lifeboat in times of turbulent water. Gotta have 'em written down though so you can review them regularly, especially when the we run into the next wall. Reviewing your goals at the beginning of every week is great practice to stay energized and focused.
And if you're goals don't get you fired-up, then maybe it's time for some new goals that do.
Ken
Thanks, Dave!