Problems in your business? Remember, you can’t drive a parked car – move a little

Let’s jump right in. Move on. locomotive. propel you. Act. to vary. Move along. Go somewhere. Goal move.

“You can’t drive a parked car.”

I tried to find out if it was a quote so I could recognize someone, but I found it in about 10,000 places. This must be one of those statements that many people’s parents told them when they were learning to drive, but I never heard it until recently.

“You can’t drive a parked car.”

I love this statement and the concept it conveys for us who are in the business. When we (or someone around us) are stuck in fear, negativity, discomfort, hopelessness, sadness, or any of the other (long-term) damaging places we can get to, then we need to move. Keep in mind that this is not a moment of sadness after a death or a segment of a day where you feel down or negative. It’s about getting stuck in a place that isn’t indicative of any sort of commitment to a promising quest.

“You can’t drive a parked car.”

You can’t get out of the “bad” place or the “negative” place or the “scared” place or the “troubled” place until you move, even a little bit. You don’t have to step on the gas to be able to drive, but you do at least have to start the engine and get the car out of the parking lot. You can take your foot off the brake gently, very gently, and start rolling. Now the car is not parked and you can drive it.

This is what you can do metaphorically as well. And keep in mind that this is definitely an idea you can share with a person who is struggling. Just have the person pull your “car” out of the parking lot.

Consider the small business owner who just isn’t going anywhere. She is not failing. She is not growing. She is not doing anything. She talks about closing the store and is only half joking. She wishes she had more clients, but she has a million reasons why she doesn’t. She goes to seminars and trainings and then comes back to her office and can only compare herself to the other people she meets and she falls short. She is stuck. Here’s what you could say to him, in any way that suggests your relationship:

1. Pull the car out of the parking lot and start it.
2. Make a list of 10 ideas you’ve learned (or whatever number feels right to you; it could be more or it could be less). Anyway, make a list of 10 ideas that you have learned. You can serve as scribe while your friend says them. You want her to keep talking and you can keep writing.
3. After you have the list, ask, “On this first idea, could you start _____?” Or, “I’m looking at this idea you listed about what you learned. What if ______?” The idea is to help the person focus on the small actions that they could take. You can’t drive a parked car. When you’re stuck, your car is parked and you’re not going anywhere… bleh, I say.

If you’re trying to make some changes in your life, if you’re trying to go in a different direction or however you describe it, be clear that you can’t make changes or go in a different direction if you’re not moving at all. . Hello?! You can’t drive a parked car.