Shifting from “N” (Neutral) to “D” (Drive)

You’re in your car, you’ve got your navigation on and directed where to go, your seat belt is fastened, the mirrors adjusted and you’re ready to roll! You’re foot is on the gas but you’re not going anywhere…

Your gauges are fine, your tank is full of gas, so why aren’t you moving forward?

Oh, now you see – you’re stuck in Neutral, and the car must be in Drive in order to move ahead. (Don’t feel bad – many people are stuck in Neutral and can’t figure out why they’re not moving forward.)

This may happen every once in a while in a car, but it happens all the time in life! (Don’t let this be you.)

What does it mean to be “stuck in neutral” in life? Well, here are a few signals…

• you’re “active” in your life or business, but not getting anywhere
• you’re about at the same place in your life or business as you were last year (or worse)
• your goals aren’t getting achieved
• your results for the vision for your life or business is consistently falling short
• your “important project” is still undone

Does this sound familiar, or similar to a situation close to you?

This is often the case for many individuals, and is very common even among busy, hard-working professional individuals – even you. It’s no wonder many of us get “stuck”. People can easily get stuck because of growing workloads, stresses at home, demands from the business or career, distractions from the barrage of emails, phone calls, etc that can cause paralysis of analysis.

But that’s only part of the problem…

Many people have symptoms of being “stuck in Neutral” like the above, but don’t make the shift to do anything about it. (Similar to a medical condition, diagnosis is half the solution. The other half is properly treating the issue!)

So what is a proper set of steps to take to get from “N” to “D” and get on the road to where you want to be? Here are some successful strategies that my clients have taken under advisement to make the shift into “Drive”.

1. Assess your current situation
2. From the assessment, see what you are stuck on
3. Determine what you’re willing to do or give up in order to make it happen
4. Establish your game plan in steps
5. Prioritize your action activities for each step
6. Have accountability in place along the way
7. Take consistent and persistent action EVERY DAY

There’s no silver bullet to getting “unstuck”, but there is a simple solution and you CAN do it! I have experienced the busiest, most unorganized people get “unstuck”, into “Drive” and moving progressively forward toward the goals and achievements that were important to them – so can you.

“No man is an island”, and success in this area escapes those who try to go at it alone, so get direction, accountability, support, tools, advice, etc from someone you feel comfortable with. Your life on this planet is so short, and not only should you achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself for YOUR benefit, but oftentimes there are other people counting on you as well! This could be your spouse, your children, your staff, your boss, etc.

Next time you’re in the car, and you make the shift from “N” (Neutral) to “D” (Drive), think about your own life and what areas you’re not moving forward.