Looking back at my life since high school I have done many pivots. I am sure you have too! In fact, most of my pivots were fast and not planned. In 2001 I pivoted from moving to Hawaii last minute to going to college in Southern California. In 2003 I was on a 45-minute plane ride home and decided to pivot majors. In 2007 I was walking down a hallway and got the feeling I needed to pivot and move to LA. In 2009 when no evidence that being in a service-based business was a good idea I pivoted and quit my job to be a full-time Pilates teacher. And I continued a few fast pivots in the last decade. Last month I made a massive pivot not just in my business but in my life as well. And, I think that is why being in quarantine while exhausting, boring and hour by hour a different emotional feeling is also going to be the best pivot for me and for those who take the opportunity.
Pivoting doesn’t have to mean quitting. Or, leaping without a net. Pivoting also doesn’t need a lot of planning. But, not all pivots are created equal. It’s important that as you make pivots you are filtering them through your vision, your purpose, your why, you insert what makes you get up in the morning.
Before you pivot: Write down what your ideal life looks like. Maybe it’s one year from now or ten years from now. What does it look and feel like? Who is with you? Where are you? Where do you live? Where do you eat? Who do you eat with? When do you work? Where do you work?
Then, look at what that picture is and write down what needs to happen for your vision to happen. Think of your vision as the picture on the puzzle box. Start writing down the pieces. Start with the ones in the center. Those are the ones that are the hardest to put together because they are the closest to your vision. Then work your way out until you get to the frame. The edges. The easier pieces to put together.
Now you have your frame work. As you decide which way to pivot ask yourself which one includes a puzzle piece?
If the pivot is not in the puzzle don’t go that way.
Seriously, not even for the quick hit of feeling like you are taking action.
Trust, and yes, that’s hard. It’s super hard for me. As I write this I am having the toughest time with trusting the pivot. Trusting the framework I have made. It would be so much easier to just go back and do that thing I am good at right?
This is the time to pivot every area of your life that isn’t working. Because think about it…you don’t really want that “pre-virus” life. It wasn’t all that you wanted. It had parts of things you wanted but not all of what you wanted.
At my house we are pivoting in our life the routines we have to spend more time together and keep it that way. In our business we are focusing only on what we want to be working on when we are on the other side. Spending more of our time building our OPC community and our AGENCY community. We are empowering others to become known in their communities. In our health, we are spending more time doing the things we used to do before we “got busy.”
You can do this too!
I hope you take some time to get super clear on the life you want and make trust the pivots you’re making to get you there. This is the time to make those pivots.
This is the time to practice new routines and new ideas.
I’d love to hear about your vision and your pivots. Share them in the comments below.
xx~LL
