Stuck in the Stairway of Life

“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.”

Les Brown

I’ve Been Thinking . . . how amazingly blessed I am to have uncanny, peculiar and untimely experiences that teach me valuable life lessons.

I recently attended a wonderful dinner on the roof of 101 Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. It was my first visit to this spectacular venue. The view of our nation’s capital was breathtaking as the sun set in the west and the lights of the city illuminated the skylight. The pictures I captured on my iPhone couldn’t do justice to the beauty observed by the human eye.

A couple hours into the evening I needed to use the restroom. The staff politely instructed me to take the elevator down to the ground level (we were on the 11th floor) and follow the signs to locate the restroom. I followed their directions and the signs posted. Success. Relief.

As I made my way back to the elevators, I suddenly learned the door to the lobby was locked. I knocked repeatedly but to no avail. I made the decision to run up the ‘11’ flights of stairs to the doorway leading to the roof where the dinner party guests were all gathered. Arriving sweaty, breathless and a bit panicked, I promptly learned this door was locked as well and no one on the other side was able to hear my repeated beating on the door. . . let alone my deep breathing.

I’m stuck. Two locked doors and an exceptionally warm, humid stairway had me imprisoned from the celebration going on outside. Being an impatient, action-oriented (and thankfully not claustrophobic) person I decided not to wait until someone discovered I was missing to be freed. Running down the stairs to the lower level (wishing I had on running shoes), I began pushing on doors.

Much to my delight a door opened to the alleyway on the side of the building. It wasn’t exactly a suitable place to hang-out for the remainder of the evening so I hastily made my way to the front lobby and pled my case with the security guards.

Minutes later I rejoined the dinner party. I’m sure the sweat dripping from the side of my face, my shiny brow and my relieved expression was no cause for curiosity with my dinner mates. Well, maybe one.

I’ve now had a bit of time to reflect on this brief adventure and the broader application of being “stuck in the stairway of life.” I wonder how many people are running up and down the same stairway everyday seeking a way out of their current circumstances. They are beating on locked doors unable to navigate their way to freedom or catch the attention of someone who might be able to help. Each day begins and ends repeating the steps they traversed yesterday. It’s frightening!

There’s little fulfillment existing in a stairway of stale air fed only by desperate panting and the odor of exasperated and exhausted stairway companions. This is a surefire prescription for monotonous, repetitive, even grueling but unproductive activity. It’s impossible “to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy,” as author Stephen Covey says we all want to do, when our life is derailed by circumstances seemingly beyond our control.

The answer is to persevere in finding the ‘alleyway’ to freedom. Find an opening, no matter how small that leads you out of the prison of predictable sameness. This dilemma cannot be resolved with the conventional thinking that got you into the bind in the first place. Liberate your mind to think outside the obvious stairway walls and get a fresh perspective on new, possibly even unusual or extraordinary options.

The elevator to the top is waiting . . .

Your primary job is to make any effort, overcome any obstacle, and scale any height to become the dynamic, unstoppable, irresistibly self-confident person that you are capable of becoming.

Brian Tracy