How Deep is the Mud? Adjust Your Perception
Overcoming Obstacles Through a New Lens
Life can sometimes feel like trudging through thick, sticky mud. Every step forward takes immense effort, and you often slide backward despite your best efforts.
When surrounded by muck up to your knees, it’s hard not to feel discouraged. But how deep the mud really is depends on who you ask.
For some, the mud may reach only to their ankles — a minor inconvenience. For others, it could be up to their waist, dramatically slowing progress. And for a few, the mud is so deep they can hardly move at all.
The depth of the challenges we face is relative.
I was reminded of this phrase recently when I found myself overwhelmed by obstacles in both my personal and professional life.
A series of setbacks left me questioning if I could ever make meaningful progress on my goals. The “mud” felt deep and inescapable.
In those moments of doubt, I reached out to friends and mentors to gain some perspective. I discovered my perception of the situation differed greatly from theirs.
What seemed like deep mud to me looked like a minor hindrance to some of my more seasoned contacts. Their attitudes and advice helped me realize the mud wasn’t as deep as I thought.
Gaining this type of outside perspective is crucial when you feel trapped in an impossible situation.
Here are three lessons I learned about how seeking perspective helps give clarity when the mud seems deep:
Others have navigated similar mud before.
When struggling through adversity, it’s easy to feel like no one understands what you’re going through. But the truth is, others have likely faced very similar circumstances in the past.
Those who have been there before can offer empathy and show you the path they took to move forward.
Their experience and wisdom provide hope and illuminate potential solutions.
For example, when I lamented to a successful friend that the slow progress on my goals felt like an insurmountable obstacle, he reminded me that achieving big things takes time.
He shared how long it took him to see tangible results when starting his business. His perspective renewed my motivation and helped me see a way through the challenge.
The depth is relative depending on your goals.
Two people can face the exact same level of difficulty in their careers, relationships, health, finances, or other aspects of life. But how deep the mud seems depends largely on their definition of success.
For instance, my goal was to gain 5000 readers for my blog this year. For someone less ambitious, that would feel like deep mud. But another blogger may be trying to reach 100,000 readers, so from their view, my goal feels easily attainable.
When discussing your frustrations, listen for whether those you confide in share a similar definition of success.
If their aspirations differ vastly from yours, take their perspective on the depth of the mud with a grain of salt.
Time and progress change perceptions.
The longer you spend in difficult circumstances, the deeper the mud can seem. What originally looked like an ankle-deep puddle can feel more like quicksand as time drags on without relief.
But sharing your experience with time-tested mentors helps add nuance. Their lived experience reminds them that with consistent effort, mud that once seemed overwhelming eventually gets crossed.
Feelings of being completely stuck start to dissipate when you can measure incremental progress.
When I checked in with my mentor after a month of diligent effort, he reminded me how far I’d already come.
My perception of being stuck in deep mud had faded as my situation improved bit by bit. His pride in my progress renewed my energy.
Applying These Lessons When You’re Stuck
Next time you find yourself discouraged and convinced the mud is too deep, remember three keys for gaining perspective:
- Reach out to those with experience and wisdom to illuminate potential ways forward. Their objectivity helps reframe the challenge.
- Compare your definition of success with theirs to understand if your perception of depth differs. Adjust accordingly.
- Value incremental progress. Meaningful change happens slowly. Recognize how far you’ve come.
No matter how deep the mud seems today, remember that feeling is temporary. With time and concentrated effort, you can cross any mud pit, no matter how wide.
How long it takes depends on your pace. But persistent steps in the right direction will get you where you want to go.
Hold onto that sense of hope and possibility when adversity threatens to drag you down.
Your current challenges seem deep, but they are temporary. You are making progress, even if it feels slow. And supportive friends who share their perspective can help pull you through when you feel trapped.
You have what it takes to make it across with their support. Soon this mud will be a distant memory.
For now, take it one squelching step at a time. Consistent effort pays off over time. The mud may still slow you down on occasion, but it doesn’t have to stop you.
Keep trudging forward. You’ve got this.
