Is something tearing at you on the inside, a brick wall of a problem that seems impossible to climb? There are three ways to deal with such a wall. You can try to avoid it, at least for a while. You can slam into it, only to be knocked down painfully again. Like me. Until I learned to look up, see the rope and grab the knot. When a wall keeps reappearing, you know it’s time to do something different.

One of my walls was sugar addiction. I tried to fight the addiction and most days I fought a losing battle. Even though I would swear to myself in the morning that I would not do it, later I would gorge on cookies or donuts. Ten minutes later I would suffer a collapse. My energy was gone, my stomach hurt and my whole body hummed with the effects of sugar. I would stumble through the next few hours exhausted and angry at myself.

I was trapped in a cycle that felt hopeless and confusing. Expensive tests and hospitalization provided no answers. I needed outside help. Help came. A new doctor used intuition with his medical knowledge to provide a diagnosis. Sugar and stress were combining to wreak havoc on my mind and body. That hit me hard.

My doctor threw me a knotted rope, and I held on to it. I had to be willing to make some changes, so I did. I discovered I did not have to solve the problem in one move or even look at the whole wall. Just grab the next knot. I call this the “five percent rule.” The five percent rule means making one small change today. Once you do, momentum will help you to keep making progress.

I slid into old behaviors sometimes, losing my grip on the knot. Yet, overall I continued to move forward. The five percent rule helps you accept a setback with a little less self-hatred and without giving up.

That’s my story. What’s yours? Are you wiped out from slamming into a wall? Don’t avoid it. Try using the five percent rule to knock down a piece of the problem. Look up. Grab the first knot. It’s there. Talk to someone who has made it through a similar problem. You’ve taken a first step today by thinking about your situation. Next step is doing.

Did something strike a chord with you? Do you have a thought to share? Please leave a comment in the box below.