(Estimated reading time 2 minutes)

Many years ago I was going on a trip with some friends to a remote mountainous area. Our car was as full as it could be with food, bedding, clothes, a guitar and anything else we thought we might need for a relaxing weekend at the cabin. As we got closer to our destination the roads turned to dirt and any sign of habitation was left behind. Eventually we were travelling on a single track still quite far from our destination. We came to a dip in the road which had been flooded. It didn’t look that deep so we slowly pulled the car through and as we got to the other side, relieved we had made it, the car died. It was really dead – even a turn of the key produced nothing. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere, no houses or cars in sight and this was well before the time of cell phones.

We all get stuck at times, not necessarily in the way I was stranded that day. The feeling of helplessness it can produce is not dissimilar to the feeling I had when stuck on that dirt road, in the middle of nowhere, with no idea how to get moving again.

What I learned all those years ago was that when you’re stuck and you’ve tried all you can think of to get moving again, look for a solution in an unlikely place. Our most limiting factor is what we believe is true about our situation or ourselves. Sometimes opening ourselves to the possibilities of something beyond our current knowledge or experience is just what we need to get moving again.

The end of my car story is a bit strange, but it goes to prove my point that you never know what is really going to help you get unstuck. Not knowing what else to do, we decided that we would pray for God to fix our car. Putting our hands on the car and our trust in God we prayed, all got back into the car and it started – first time.

Next time I’m stuck you can be sure I’m going to remember that there are solutions for every problem and sometimes they’re found in unexpected places.

I’m a writer, speaker and coach, who is passionate about helping ordinary people move beyond what is holding them back so that they can live extraordinary lives. You can connect with me here or learn more about coaching with me.