It’s certainly a cliche, but you can’t steer (or ride) a bicycle that’s not moving.

Instead, you’ll just fall over.

Same with life. Sitting still doesn’t do anything or go anywhere.

Lots of people imagine that somehow life will happen without action. It won’t.

Will you make mistakes? Of course. But making mistakes is part of the process of getting anywhere. Anywhere at all. Because when you make a mistake, you can learn from what went wrong, correct it, do better next time, whatever.

But if you’re just sitting, nothing you want will get done. Nothing. At. All.

I’m a huge fan of planning. Thinking about what you want, figuring out what you need to do to get that, and doing those things. In short: imagine, plan, do.

Will you get everything you want out of life? Probably not. But you’ll get a heck of a lot more than if you don’t follow this plan.

Will things get in the way? Of course. But they’ll get in the way no matter what you do. Know that those obstacles will be there, and make it part of your plans to get past those obstacles.

In other words, if you’re out for a hike and there’s a fallen tree on your path, step over it. Nobody sits down and has a pity party because there’s a tree on your path. If it’s a big tree, maybe you’ll have to go around it. What you don’t do is let it stop your hike.

All of which sounds elementary. And it is. But you’d be amazed how many people treat life’s equivalent of a tree on a hiking trail like it’s something to stop them from getting what they want. Don’t be that person.

Start today. What action can you do right now that will bring you closer to what you want out of life?