Let’s jump right in. Move. locomotive. propel you. Act. Vary. Advance. Go somewhere. Goal movement.

“You can’t drive a parked car.”

I tried to figure out if it was a date so I could recognize someone, but I found it in about 10,000 places. This must be one of those statements 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 in business. When we (or someone around us) are stuck in fear, negativity, discomfort, hopelessness, sadness, or any of the other harmful (long-term) 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 is not indicative of any kind of commitment in a promising search.

“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 “trouble” place until you move, even a little. You don’t have to hit the gas to drive, but at least you have to start the engine and pull 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 too. And keep in mind that this is definitely an idea that you can share with a person who is struggling. Just have the person pull their “car” out of the parking lot.

Consider a small business owner who just isn’t going anywhere. She is not failing. She is not growing. She’s not doing anything. She talks about closing the store and only says it half jokingly. 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’s stuck. Here’s what you might say to him, in whatever way your relationship suggests:

1. Pull the car out of the parking lot and put it in gear.
2. Make a list of 10 ideas that you have 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 a 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 by _____?” Or, “I’m looking at this idea you listed about what you learned. What if ______?” The idea is to help the person focus on 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 are trying to make some changes in your life, if you are trying to go in a different direction or however you describe it, be clear that you cannot make changes or go in a different direction if you are not moving at all. . Hello?! You can’t drive a parked car.