Hi FRIEND!!
If you’ve been alive for more than… 1 day, you know that life is kinda messy and getting back on track can be tricky.
I don’t know about you but it feels like as soon as I commit to something, the baby’s sleep schedule disappears, or someone gets sick or the work schedule gets turned upside down.
Then I’m stuck trying to “do the thing” while also “survive the other thing”.
Every. Freakin. Time.
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Getting back on track when life just isn't playing fair
My answer…? The power of the pivot.
The power of the pivot is your ability (read: SUPERPOWER) to pivot when things don’t work out the way you were expecting.
The pivot is ACTION when an excuse for INACTION is provided.
So how do we pivot?
The best “pivoters” know the secret question to getting back on track.
When life throws the curve ball they ask “so what CAN I do?”
The mindset shift away from “what you were doing that you can’t do anymore” is essential when the goal is consistency. And it’s one I happen to know you already have practice with.
Let me show you…
Let’s pretend you are driving to work.
It’s Monday morning, the sun is shining, and your favorite song is on.
You look good. Like, really good. And for once in your life, you got enough sleep to wake up before your alarm clock.
You’re cruising.
You’ll probably even make it to work early.
And then you see it.
“ROAD CLOSED” is printed across a big orange sign.
Ok, now let’s pause and get the audience involved because there is a BIG light bulb moment coming for you.
Do you:
A) Stop and wait until construction is complete before continuing to work.
B) Turn around and go home, calling your boss on the way to let them know that you quit- why? Because the road is closed, duh.
C) Sigh, because UGH, how annoying. Then proceed to take a sharp left, speed through some sketchy neighborhood, under a bridge, through a random park you’ve never seen, swerve to avoid the freakin Subaru that almost hit you, stop at 107 stop signs, let an old lady cross the road, and scream at the top of your lungs when the city bus stops AGAIN. Only to finally pull into your work parking lot. Sweaty, with spilled coffee down your shirt- but with a big sigh of relief. You made it.
C, DUH! You do what you have to do to make it to work! See? You already know how to pivot, you’ve just never applied it to less obvious areas of your life.
In the middle of messy seasons or days you must be honest about your options: Quit. Wait. Or pivot
(aka getting back on track). That’s all.
I think we can all agree that no one WANTS to pivot. It is SO annoying when things don’t come together the way you’re hoping, planning, or working for them too. Trust me, I am here for that convo, Sister.
But Um…What other choice do you have?
We want the road to “just be open” and that would be nice… but it’s not very realistic.
It seems silly in the commuting example to think of going home and quitting or waiting months (or YEARS) for construction to be done.
The obvious answer is to go a different way.
In life, it looks like
An injury,
A work schedule change,
The toddler stops napping (#mercy),
The economy tanking,
getting sick,
A major breakup,
Your best friend moves away,
The application is denied,
You woke up tired,
You’re feeling off,
You might not have the luxury of a straight path in an inconsistent season. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have any options.
When roadblocks happen, we tend to get stuck on what we can’t do.
When we focus on what we can’t do we feel stuck, our momentum slows and we end up quitting.
Learning how to pivot gives us a chance to respond instead of forcing us to give up.
The pivot is a step.
It might not be arriving, but it is a step toward arriving.
Forward movement always lies in asking the right questions.
Next time life throws a curve ball try one of these:
What can I do?
What has helped me in the past?
Is there something I need to stop doing?
What could I try instead?
What’s a different way of getting there?
Is there a way that I can at least get a little closer?
What’s one small thing I can do?
If I were to look at this upside down with totally fresh eyes- what would I see?
And let’s be honest, if you’ve been pivoting for as long as you can remember …rest.
It’s ok to rest. It’s ok to acknowledge that it’s really freakin’ hard to keep trying and trying and trying.
But don’t quit.
It might look different than you expected…
hell, it WILL look different than you expected…but who the eff cares.
Stay engaged,
stay aware,
— and keep asking the right questions.
If you need someone to walk with you through messy life and getting back on track- I'm here for ya, sis. That's my specialty.
Xo,
Victoria
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