“The first step towards getting somewhere is deciding you’re not going to stay where you are.” (J.P. Morgan)

Originally published January 26, 2018

This quotation at first glance may seem like some kind of joke. But don’t dismiss it too quickly. It makes a point worth thinking about.

John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier and banker who lived from 1837-1913. He dominated the American financial and industrial world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Morgan arranged for the merger of Edison General Electric and Thompson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric in 1892.

He was also instrumental in the formation of the U.S. Steel Corporation, AT&T, and International Harvester.

Morgan died in his sleep while traveling in Rome, Italy just prior to his 76th birthday.

We tend to resist change if we can

It would seem obvious enough that to get somewhere ELSE we must first leave the place we ARE.

Whether it’s a trip around the world or a trip to the mailbox, you can’t stay where you ARE and expect to get SOMEWHERE ELSE.

But Morgan isn’t talking about the move itself—he’s talking about the PROCESS we go through BEFORE the move actually takes place.

He’s not talking about the mundane everyday moves. He’s talking about moves far more profound than these.

It’s all too common for people to get stuck where they are because they haven’t cut that all-important deal in their mind that they’re no longer willing to stay where they are.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then discontent is the mother of change.

Few of us really like change, to be honest. We usually prefer to stay right where we are doing what we’ve always done. It’s easier that way. It’s safer that way.

It’s more predictable that way. It’s more comfortable that way.

Which is precisely Morgan’s POINT.

Going somewhere else doesn’t come forth from a vacuum. It comes as a result of some serious thinking, pondering, evaluating, assessing—and often a bit of soul-searching.

Change being what it is, few of us will ever make the effort required to change unless we settle in our minds with a high degree of conviction that we don’t want to stay where we are any longer.

It’s been said there are only three times in life when we’re ready to make a significant change.

When it’s too costly to remain

There are times when we come to realize that we’re paying too high a price to remain where we are.

Sometimes it seems as if it’s killing us. It may be. We know we can’t stay. We know it’s exacting too much from us to stay. It’s more than we can afford to pay.

It may be the need to change jobs. Or change careers. Or find a new place to live.

Or end a toxic relationship. A change of pace may be desperately needed.

What we’re doing is no longer working and we know it. We know we can’t afford to stay in the place we are.

But we must decide we’re not going to stay where we are before we can go somewhere else. This is what Morgan was trying to convey.

The first step towards getting somewhere is deciding you’re not going to stay where you are.

When we have the ability

Sometime we feel that we SHOULD make the change, but we just don’t have the ABILITY to make it.

We may be too tired. Or too weak. We may have lost our nerve.We may feel that it’s just too much effort.

So we stay where we are.

Knowing all along that it’s not really the best route to take. But when we come to the point where we’re confident that we have the ABILITY to make the change—we’re apt to make it.

Until we reach this point we may actually fight the change.

When we feel that we CAN CHANGE we’re often ready TO CHANGE. Believing we have the ability is often enough.

But it takes place in the mind FIRST.

The first step towards getting somewhere is deciding you’re not going to stay where you are. Believing we have the ability is often enough to bring us to that mental decision point.

When the desire is strong enough

Because change is hard, we usually must have a fairly high degree of DESIRE to pull it off.

But desire is often enough motivation to get us moving. When the desire is strong enough that we’re willing if not prepared to endure the hardship of the change.

We’re fully aware that there will be a cost in moving just as there will be a cost in staying.

But at some point we decide that the cost of moving is the cost we’d prefer to pay. Though either option can be costly.

Summary

Aside from these three occasions, we usually fight change with a high degree of energy and determination. Sad though that may be, it tends to be true and all too common.

What all three of these occasions have in common is that all three of them come BEFORE we decide to go somewhere else. When we decide we’re no longer going to stay where we are.

• When we decide that it’s too costly to stay where we are—we’ve made the decision to move on.
• When we realize that we have the resources required to go somewhere else—we make the decision to move on.
• When our desire is strong enough—we make the decision to move on.

Morgan understood that the action of moving to a new place first occurs in the mind—THEN it occurs in reality.

So if you’re hesitant about taking on a new adventure. If you’re reluctant to leave the safe ground of security. If you’re fearful about what may lurk over the horizon—welcome to the club.

Nearly all of us face this from time to time. Just keep in mind that the foundational work occurs in the mind. Until those three elements line up—change will be especially challenging.

Change is rarely easy. We usually need to first believe…

• We can pay the required cost
• We have the necessary ability
• We have sufficient desire

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