Have you seen the awesome short video of the broken escalator parable? Broken Escalator Video

Two people are stuck on an escalator. We know that they’re executives because in addition to being well dressed, they each appear to be stressed & in a hurry.

Suddenly, with a lurch, the escalator comes to a stop. Both executives are now trapped on a broken escalator, apparently unable to get to safety. The first executive sighs in frustration, while the second starts calling for help. Here are important people, executives, unable to get to where they need to go because the escalator has broken & there’s no one to fix it or rescue them.

Just like many of us, they’d become so used to a machine moving them forward, they couldn’t see beyond the feeling of being stuck.

Too many of us are unable to see that all we have to do is walk right off the escalator. The stairs are there, they’re part of it. They’re not as automatic or as convenient as a functioning escalator, but they beat being stuck.

Chinese contemporary artist & activist, Ai Weiwei, says it best:  My favorite word?  It’s ‘act.’

Are you waiting for things to be perfect before you begin, or do you choose to execute & learn along the way? Are you waiting for success to happen for you, or do you choose to do the work that will make you successful? Are you waiting for someone to save you, or do you choose to save yourself?

When you’re a business person, you’re 20 contacts a day away from becoming a millionaire. You might not set an appt the first day. You might get hung up on. You might hear 20 no’s before 1 yes. Trust the process. You win when you keep playing.

When you’re overcome by grief, betrayal, or depression, you’re 3 gratitude acknowledgements & 3 success acknowledgements a day away from finding healing. The most successful thing you might do all day is put one foot in front of the other. Or, eat lunch. Trust the process. You win when you keep playing.

The problem is freedom. Not that we don’t have enough freedom but that we can’t handle the freedom we have. Or more accurately, we believe we can’t handle it.

Freedom brings the appearance of risk.
Freedom brings responsibility.
Freedom means we must make a choice.
Freedom is our problem & freedom is our opportunity.

Realize that it’s your turn, it’s always your turn. Understand that once you see the opportunity, it’s yours.

Find the solution. Overcome the hurdle. Get over it. Reach out. Lead generate. Follow a model. Trust the process. Create opportunities. Share wildly. Stand up and lead. Put your learning to work. Fail fast. Fail often. Care. Connect. Choose. Initiate. Do what matters. Acknowledge that it’s your turn.

Be the person who acts. Be the person who creates a ruckus. Be the person who makes change. Be willing to seek out the tension that change brings. Change creates tension & tension creates change.

It might not work. Then again, what if it does?

About Totally Trixie:  Adelina Rotar’s passionate about working with the most talented folks in the world.  Building a “wheel-based” roadmap to life: investing in learning time, challenging work time & engaging in relationships & experiences is the fire that fuels her daily.  Learn more about her business – she’s hiring!

Sources:  Inspiration from Seth Godin’s new book, experiences of July 2015 – present.

Godin, Seth. What To Do When It’s Your Turn (and It’s Always Your Turn). N.p.: Do You Zoom, 2014. Print.