What if feeling stuck is actually a sign that you’re close (or are getting closer) to a breakthrough?

I had this thought today while reflecting on a coaching session that didn’t sit right with me. I realised I had moved the conversation forward too quickly, not allowing the client to truly explore their present reality.

This brought me back to a challenge Tony Latimer, MCC set for our coaching group last Friday: Stay in the ‘now’ for as long as possible. It sounds simple. It wasn’t. Even experienced coaches in the group found it hard. I later listened to Tony discussing this same struggle with another student on his coach training platform. I thought I understood it intellectually—but putting it into practice was something else entirely.

Then, on a walk earlier, something clicked. I didn’t fully understand the concept yet—but I felt it. What if this was the door I needed to step through to grow as a coach? What if the discomfort wasn’t a sign to retreat, but an invitation to persevere?

Maybe feeling stuck isn’t failure. Maybe it’s the moment right before the breakthrough.