I just wrapped up a few days in Austin with a group of fellow entrepreneurs. On the way to lunch one afternoon, I grabbed a ride with someone I didn’t know really well yet. We were making small talk as he drove, both just glad to be in the AC (because Texas heat is no joke, y’all).
We talked about his recent Costa Rica trip and other travel adventures as we drove, and by the time we got close to our destination, we were knee deep in a good conversation.
He turned into the parking garage just as I began a story about our most recent family vacation. As I shared the ins and outs of a particular adventure we’d had (one that involved a napping sea lion), he nodded along with me, laughing or feigning shock at just the right moments, following the story turn by turn.
At a certain point, despite the laughter and good conversation, I started to feel a little sick to my stomach.
My brain started running diagnostics. Was I hot? Carsick? Hungry? Not enough to matter on any front.
All I knew was that it felt like we’d been driving in that parking garage for-ev-er. I mean I know everything is bigger in Texas, but how many levels were there in this garage? And how could there be so many reserved spots and no available ones?
I looked for a sign to see which floor we were on, and my jaw dropped.
TWO?
We were on THE SECOND FLOOR??
The realization hit my new friend at the exact moment it hit me and we both burst out laughing. We had been driving in circles for almost 10 minutes. Literally making loops around the same floor of the garage. (I’ll spare you the design flaw that made this more plausible than it might seem. Or maybe I’m just that good of a storyteller.)
At any rate, there we were. In practically the same place we’d started.
The thing was, once we picked our heads up long enough to assess the situation, we quickly found the turn we’d missed, and got back on track to start our upward climb. Within about 90 seconds, we were parked and on our way to meet the rest of the crew for lunch.
Sigh.
The whole thing made me wonder, how often is life like that?
How often are we so distracted by the noise all around us that we lose track of where we’re going and start going in circles?
Too often.
Too often, life looks like this.
Coffee – Work – Kids – Laundry – Dinner – Email – Facebook – Sleep – Repeat
It’s as if we don’t think there’s an alternative. We sit at soccer games and swim lessons and girls nights out saying “It is what it is” like that’s a deep truth (Its not. It’s a lie.)
But we’ve said it so often that we believe it, so we repeat the whole cycle the next day without ever picking our heads up to see if there’s an easy turn we might have missed. A turn that could get us off the loop.
So many of the women I coach begin their first conversation with me by telling me about how they feel stuck.
They use phrases like “spinning my wheels,” “living Groundhog Day,“ or “running in place.” No matter how you word it, they’re all saying the same thing. They’re not getting anywhere.
And when you keep your head down, just grinding it out day by day, without a really clear picture of where you’re going (or at least where you want to go) that’s the danger you face.
You’ll occupy your days with something. But that something won’t necessarily lead to anything.
The good news is there’s a fix, and it’s one I’ve helped hundreds of women execute.
It’s easier than you might think once you have a process to follow, a guide to lead the way, and like-minded people beside you making the journey a whole lot more fun.
My own life today is measurably better than it was a year ago. And it will be even better a year from now, because I’m incredibly intentional about it. About moving forward. About growing. About getting things done.
I have extreme clarity about where I’m going.
I have plans to get there and milestones in place to make sure I’m not going in circles.
I have processes established to withstand turbulence and setbacks (because I expect those to show up routinely).
And I have people around me who hold me accountable, push me even higher, and keep it fun.
The women I work with have the exact same system in place.
They’re done driving in circles. They’re driving toward something – whatever it is THEY want most. They’re making measurable progress, week by week. And their dreams are literally coming true.
If you’re still driving in circles, why?
Why not experience what it feels like to wake up every day one step closer to the life you’ve always imagined?
It’s 100% possible once someone shows you how.
