Some of the most important life lessons don’t come from podcasts or books; you learn them from real life. One important lesson for me happened while driving during a snowstorm.
On a dreary January afternoon, I was driving my car when it unexpectedly started snowing. It started snowing harder than I expected, and I decided to pull over, take a break, and wait for the worst of the weather to pass. With the snow covering the ground so quickly, it was hard to see exactly where I had parked.
Later, as I tried to get back to the main road, I realized I was stuck. No matter how much I hit the gas, the car didn’t move. The only thing I got was spinning tires and feeling frustrated.
I wasn’t going anywhere. Instead of moving forward, the more I tried, the deeper the car (and I) sank.
That moment taught me something I’ve never forgotten:
If you are solving the wrong problem, you’ll feel stuck – no matter how hard you work.
The Invisible Obstacle:
Most people don’t get stuck because of a lack of motivation or knowledge. The hidden beliefs that go unquestioned get people stuck:
- “I can’t charge more.”
- “I haven’t done enough”
- “I don’t want to be pushy.”
- “People won’t value what I do unless I overdeliver.”
Running in the background, these beliefs quietly drive decisions and, ultimately, the results in your business and life.
They’re like the tires spinning in the snow – they keep you creating a lot of motion with little or no forward movement.
What If You’re Solving the Wrong Problem?
When you’re stuck, it’s easy to ask: “What do I need to DO?”
But the better question is: “What beliefs are keeping me here?”
Your actions are fueled and driven by your assumptions, and because most of our assumptions go unexamined, no amount of hard work and strategy will help you reach your goals.
Rather than pushing yourself forward (yet again), sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is to pause – long enough to ask yourself if you are still on the right course.
Time for a Gear Shift:
Mindset isn’t about mantras, positivity, or your attitude.
Your mindset is the lens through which you make decisions. It’s your hidden operating system. And sometimes, the biggest changes in your life can come not from doing even more – but from asking better questions:
- What if my prices aren’t too high -> but my belief about my own value is too low?
- What if I’m not pushy -> but I don’t see myself as an empowered leader?
- What if I have done enough—but don’t know how to prioritize my well-being without feeling selfish?
Real change begins there.
This is also what helped me on that snowy road. Eventually, I stopped and paused long enough to rethink. I got out of the car, cleared the snow from around the tire, placed the plastic floor mat underneath the spinning tire, and readjusted the wheels.
I slowly eased back onto the solid road, not by pushing harder but by changing how I approached the situation.
If you’re doing all the right things but are spinning in place, I invite you to a clarity call. No pitch. Just insight and the potential of discovering a new lens.
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