I was in my car recently and got slightly lost on my way to finding the small village I was aiming for. I was in a neighbouring village and knew I was very close to my destination, so I stopped the car, wound down my window and asked a local chap for directions. I was more than a bit puzzled by his reply:

“You can’t get there from here”, he said!

“Ok, but I am where I am, so surely there must be a way from here to there?” I replied.

“You can’t get there from here”, he repeated.

Had the village been cordoned off because of an alien landing, or a super bug I wondered? Perhaps the chap thought it wasn’t the place for me? Either way, it was an oddly unhelpful bit of advice which I took with good humour, I bid him ‘good day’ and asked somebody who proved far more helpful.

This little scenario made me think. Clearly, there was a way to the next village. But if I had taken the chap’s advice, I might still be stuck in the village-of-no-return or just not bothered completing my journey (which would have been a great loss as I wouldn’t have experienced a great pint of ale and a Sunday roast with my family and friends!).

‘I am where I am’ is a starting point. It’s the point you start from to wherever you want to go to next, no matter how lost you might feel.

If you want to lose weight or get fit, or get a better job, or move house, or have that awkward conversation with a loved one or friend – wherever you want to go to – the journey starts right here, right now, and it starts by being honest with yourself.

You could choose to procrastinate, or self-justify why you don’t wish to move on. You could focus on all the negative barriers in your way, or ask the ‘wrong’ people for their advice or opinion (or directions in my case!) – the kind of people you know will help you self-justify your current behaviour. In which case, be prepared to camp down in your own village-of-no-return.

What if Nelson Mandela had admitted defeat during the life-sentence he was serving in prison? Or Mahatma Gandhi hadn’t battled to overcome his early-life fear of public speaking? Or Marie Curie hadn’t defied the social and political odds by studying for her science degrees?

All these people have been significant life-changers for millions of people, but they all had the faith and the honesty to move forward, often with the smallest of steps, from a series of disadvantageous starting points in their personal lives.

So, please remember that if ‘I am where I am’ feels like a place of doubt and fear, it will only become a place of confidence and courage if you stop thinking about it and ACT NOW.

I would love the opportunity to support you in taking you to the place that you want to be.

That’s why I have devised the Improve Your Life Now! programme which is full of tools and tips for you to use right now. You can receive 14 days of FREE video coaching, a FREE workbook and goals chart, all geared towards creating the life you deserve. All details are on my website www.paulstalker.com

Love the day.

Paul ‘Stalkie’ Stalker

The Mindset Man.