You can't move when you're Parked!

I've spent the last few days crafting this post... I've been that busy, that sorted and that occupied, but the info has remained the same and the direction is true!











I was observing the gear shift in my car the other day while I sat at a parking spot, I was ready to go, but I almost felt like I was trying to Will the car to move. Using my failed Jedi mind trick to move the car, I sat there asking the car, so why aren't you moving? You know I want to go, you know I need to go, you know you want to go, so why don't you just go?

Why don't you just go? 

I mean it's not as easy as I make it seem right, it does take an effort to move the gear shift from Park to Drive. Did you notice that in between the two there's Reverse and Neutral? We pass over those quickly to get to Drive, only to find out the when you get somewhere you need to use Reverse to "fit" in the spot or to get out of the spot. Sometimes when you're waiting in a lot of traffic, it's best to let the car sit in Neutral for a bit as to not ruin the transmission. (The previous statement comes from a non-mechanically inclined person and should be read with a grain of salt!)  So what and who cares, so you know how to drive and can identify the gears on an automatic car. Why yes that it pretty obvi, however, the connection to life is there as well and I hope that many of you don't get stuck because you don't want to put the gear into drive.

Moving from Park to Reverse...  

As close as they are in the typical layout, going in reverse also seems to be the easy, most comfortable and simple thing to do. We find that many times going back to that which we find comfort and solace in is the easier move. Of course, it's easy to go from Park to Reverse, because it doesn't take any effort to go back to a familiar place. Everything is known to you, the rhythm and response are known and they help you feel back to a place of "norm." That facade has a life expectancy and a price. You can always take the easy path to Reverse, yet are you willing to go a bit further to Drive? You go back to the ex, to a past job, old friends, to a lost family member, to poor life-altering habits and then you find yourself shifting to Neutral with more time to think away from the past. This time in Neutral is a place you've come to enjoy, but feel guilty about being there, so you rush back to reverse. Taking all the hope, dream and desire for fwd progress away!  I remember this great saying or statement rather, The rearview mirror is smaller than the Windshield. See a bigger future beyond a limited past.

Move from Neutral.....

I mean why not? It's just another shift to progress! Sometimes when we're so comfortable coasting, it's tough to add the challenges that either fuel or drain us. It's easy to wish you could be in a better place, the desire for more is always good, but it's not worth anything more than the air it's carved upon if it just remains a desire. As the good book says..."Faith without work is dead!" Sometimes we need a place and space to just be; to let the now impact us and to just be connected to our present. At times this means putting the phone away, turning the TV, Radio, and mind off. Being at the concert and letting the music seep into your bones, mind, and spirit, so when you leave, you've been transformed. It's hard to share that energy on the many and easily accessible social media platforms. Imagine being in the state of openness to enjoy the state of now? It may appear to be a challenge to live there at times because we don't want to mess up the flow or it's hard to get to a place of Zen when you've let everything go! In truth, being still, allows you to receive more since you're focused on why you're there! At times getting sick, injured or just a point where your words can't keep up with your brain, to me are signs or triggers that force us to a neutral state. We need these times to remove and reset. It doesn't hurt to stop and allow the now to fill you with a deeper sense of the present. Once you connect with that, it may prove to be a useful tool and fuel to shift!

Now you're in Drive, where to?

You've done everything but move forward from your parked position. You took some steps forward, but also went in reverse and you took the time to stop and smell the now, but you're wondering, or maybe still fearful to put it into drive. Once you do, you need to step on the Gas to get going! I've been hesitant to put the gear in Drive and step on the gas. I ask too many why's and what if, and I'm not prepared for this. Not all risk is calculated, but neither are some of the great rewards they yield. Put it in drive and step on the gas, just don't crash, and even if you do, ask yourself..."did you die though?"  When I get annoyed or to a state of I need an out, I always hit the turtle mode. You know when you duck into your shell and just hope the world around you will disappear. No more is this acceptable because when you're close to the drive gear, you get easily annoyed, frustrated, argumentative and any other roadblock you can build becomes the priority. I was upset because I didn't shift to drive. I know I should have, I needed to, I must yet I just never did! I didn't move my life to the next level and everyone on the same level I was angry with, because I wanted out and or away from it, but I was scared/comfortable/embarrassed to shift to the next gear. It's time, the engine is revved and the spot is getting old it's time to move on to a more pleasant and progressive challenge. A place where you're valued, appreciated, considered and mentored for greater. A place where your contribution moves things forward and opens many doors and opportunities... That time is now... ready, set, shift!

Post Post Edit.... 
Even if you get a different car, the gears are the same, I mean unless you get a manual shift... but if you want to go somewhere, you still need to shift!

If you haven't mastered driving the car that's been a challenge, and if you remain the driver, the car won't make a difference. I reference this because I've been told for the last three weeks that I need to put a plan together, and I need to find something new. My WORK/life balance isn't sustainable, and this may be killing me. I was guided to find that job that calls me. Find that opportunity that makes your spirit smile. A job that doesn't take 80hrs/wk out of your life. My first instinct was to run and find a new job, yet my plan isn't in place and while the excitement would be great, it would also fall down in a week or two since there was no plan to sustain the move. Put the Plan in Place... tune in....