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Adam Alter is a professor of marketing and the Robert Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow at New York University鈥檚 Stern School of Business. He also holds an affiliated professorship in social psychology in NYU鈥檚 psychology department.
He鈥檚 a New York Times bestselling author of two books: 鈥溾�� and 鈥�.鈥� His newest book, 鈥�,鈥� will be available in May 2023.
In this episode of Motivational Mondays, Alter shares four steps to get unstuck and experience the breakthrough you need.
People don鈥檛 know how to deal with the feeling of being stuck. Alter discovered that there are cultural differences in how people grapple with this dilemma. In Western countries, people anticipate that things will go on as normal. In Eastern countries, people tend to expect change, which makes them better prepared for it.
There are certain ways people get stuck. With one, there鈥檚 nothing you can do and you have to accept the situation. But the majority of the time, there IS something you can do. Once you accept what you can鈥檛 change and cope with it, you can figure out strategies to get unstuck.
Everyone has a particular way of thinking about things. Alter believes you have to draw on diverse values, ideas, attitudes, and backgrounds. When people ask for advice, they turn to people like them, but you also need perspective from those who see things differently.
If the way you normally do things was the path to getting unstuck, you鈥檇 already be unstuck. We鈥檙e often the most negative voice in our lives; however, people who embrace an outside perspective are kinder and gentler to themselves.
When you鈥檙e first confronted with being stuck, you need to understand that it鈥檚 a universal problem. People don鈥檛 always show their progress and as a result, we always see the finished product and not the obstacles. The 鈥淗elp鈥� section is written to help you feel that you aren鈥檛 alone.
The 鈥淗eart鈥� section refers to the heart as a symbol of emotion and how our bodies respond to stress. This section attempts to help you learn how to grapple with your emotions, manage anxiety, and redirect resources in the right direction.
The 鈥淗ead鈥� section is about learning how to think in helpful, strategic, and valuable ways. There are mental strategies you can use to get unstuck and the best thing you can do is strip away what鈥檚 unnecessary. By simplifying things, we make them manageable.
The 鈥淗abit鈥� section is about how to act. Great artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs all talk about how doing anything is better than doing nothing. You have to release the bad stuff from your head to get the good stuff.
[0:51] The inspiration behind Alter鈥檚 new book.
[3:06] Why acceptance is the first step toward change.
[7:24] Why changing your perspective is key.
[12:46] Why being stuck is universal.
[15:47] How to grapple with your emotions.
[17:06] The concept of pausing before you act.
[19:53] How to change the way you think.
[21:38] Why you should focus on what you鈥檙e good at.
[25:34] How to change the actions you鈥檙e taking.
Listen to the bonus episode to learn why emotional flailing is common during hard times and the importance of understanding how you got stuck.
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