Have you ever been stuck in some area of your life?

Maybe at work? That big project. Progressing in your career. The slow query that seems impossible to make faster. Learning new skills to switch careers.

Maybe outside of work? The weekend home project that’s been going on for more than a few weekends… possibly a few years’ worth of weekends. Investing in a new hobby. Working to improve a strained relationship.

I know I’ve been stuck (what feels like) countless times in my personal and professional life. In many ways, the last year has felt like one big quagmire of being stuck nearly any way I turn. But this week, through the unwavering help and support of friends, family, and coworkers, I was able to experience the joy of becoming unstuck at work and in life. And I have to say, it feels pretty amazing.

Personally, I’ve been in a life stage that I never could have imagined would be possible before last year. It’s been a long, slow battle to fight for movement in relationships and circumstances. And finally, for the first time in more than a year, I was able to see movement in two specific ways that brought much needed encouragement. The road ahead is still filled with a lot of potholes and deep ruts, but momentum has begun to build again, and getting a few things unstuck will have made all the difference.

Professionally, I’ve reached a milestone I never thought possible. Yesterday, Grant and I, along Louis Davidson and our top-notch boss, Kirsty, put the finishing touches on a special preview book about PostgreSQL fundamentals. For many years, I’ve wanted to contribute to a technical book, but it always seemed too big, and I would always get stuck just writing the proposal. But then the boss asked Grant and I to do it, and when you have seasoned pros like Grant and Louis at your side, suddenly I didn’t feel so stuck. And I have to say, it felt like a huge accomplishment as I give everything one last review yesterday before sending off the document to order a printed proof.

(By the way, the initial preview edition will be available in limited quantities at PASS Summit in November, before the official first edition is made available to the public in early 2025. Come find us if you’re in Seattle to grab your copy! Better yet, register for our PostgreSQL Fundamentals pre-con on Tuesday and get your copy then!)

Being stuck is no fun, and for me at least, it’s often too easy to focus on how I’m stuck and not on the path to becoming unstuck. Although I’ve known it for most of my life, getting unstuck almost always involves a caring community of family, close friends, and colleagues. If you need to see movement in something right now, lean into wherever that community is in your life. Not only will you see benefit, but they’ll be encouraged, too.