Some time ago, I was in Utah with my husband and two of our kids for a conference. While we were there, I needed to pick up some books from Garrett Gunderson, my co-author for Portal to Genius. I love telling people about his book Killing Sacred Cows and needed a few copies for a local event.

I texted Garrett while we were in town, and since it was the weekend and no one was at his office, my only option was to pick up the books from his home.

He texted back, “I’m out of town, so just go to the garage in the back of my house. We have friends staying in an RV out front—just tell them why you’re there if they ask.”

I rounded the corner to his house and pulled up in front. “I’ll just be a minute, kids.”

The house was dark, and the RV was too, so I followed Garrett’s instructions to the gate, got inside, and made my way to the back garage. The door was slightly ajar, so I let myself in.

I quickly scanned the area, but I couldn’t find any books. So, I texted Garrett again for more specific directions. He didn’t respond, so I called my husband. “Can you get a hold of Garrett and ask where the books are in the garage?”

A few minutes later, my husband came back with, “He said you were supposed to do this tricky latch thing with the gate...”

“Yeah, I did that. I’m already in the garage. Where are the books?”

“He said they’re in the back garage...”

“I know! I’m in the back garage. Where exactly are these books?”

“He just said it would be obvious. There are 5,000 books in there.”

I was stumped. I looked around, and all I saw were three cars, some tools, and a few large Rubbermaid-style bins—definitely not the best storage for books, and no way those bins could hold 5,000 of them. I checked the rafters. I walked between the cars, scanning every square inch of the garage, thinking I had to be missing something.

Why didn’t Garrett’s instructions make sense? Why wasn’t I finding the books as promised?

I stepped out of the garage, retraced my steps, and followed the directions perfectly once more. I even walked around the dark backyard, double-checking to make sure there wasn’t another garage I had missed. But no luck. I ended up back in the same garage, no closer to finding the books.

I called Trevan again. “Honey, there are NO books in here. And there’s nowhere to hide 5,000 of them! I’m sure if the pile of books were a snake, it would’ve already bit me. I’m totally stumped. Can you call Garrett again?”

Trevan called Garrett two or three times. He told Garrett, “She can’t find them.”

Garrett responded, “I don’t know how she could miss them! Is she in the back garage?”

“She says she’s in there, and she’s not seeing them.”

To be honest, I was getting REALLY frustrated with Garrett for not being more specific and for not taking my frustration seriously enough to give me clear instructions. I felt like he was ignoring my question and leaving me to figure it out on my own, and I was already late for an appointment. Why wouldn’t he just tell me exactly where the books were, like, “They’re in the northwest corner next to the white SUV” or something?

After going in and out of the garage three times, scouring every corner, I finally went back to my car and took a deep breath. Glancing up, I noticed there was another RV parked in front of the neighbor’s house next door.

Then it hit me.

I was at the wrong house. I had been searching a stranger’s garage, trespassing and combing through their property for something that didn’t exist. Once I realized my mistake, the instructions finally made sense. I went to Garrett’s actual house, did the tricky latch thing, found the right garage, and grabbed the books.

Now for the lesson. (Of course, you knew I’d find a lesson in all of this, didn’t you?)

Here it is:

How often do you follow advice to get what you want, only to find that the instructions don’t produce the results you were promised?

Garrett promised there were thousands of books waiting for me—exactly what I wanted—and his instructions were accurate. The problem wasn’t with his directions; it was with me. I hadn’t first made sure I was in the right location, which was the critical starting point.

Maybe you’ve found hope through books, audios, or events from me or other teachers of success principles, but you’re struggling to achieve the promised results. If that’s the case, let’s step back and check whether you’re starting from the right place.

When you don’t achieve the results you expect, remember: check the address.

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