The Value of the Pivot
How well do you function when things don’t go as originally planned? Over the years that is something I have gotten better at managing. I’ve usually been okay with pivoting or going to Plan B when it wasn’t something personal to me. My real growth work has been on my own personal plan B’s.
For some of us, if our well thought out plan doesn’t go as perfectly executed as we had anticipated, we are quick to pull the plug, walk away and say that we failed. For others of us, if our plan doesn’t work out as well as would have liked, we are able to sit back and analyze it, look at the data, and figure out what we can modify so that we can keep moving forward.
An example, and one that is personal for me, is this email. It was “supposed” to have been sent yesterday. However, I had a family emergency and needed to immediately go out of town. The “old me” would have fretted about this quick change of plans, and gotten upset that I didn’t have my email sent out “on time“ (keeping in mind that the only one who had set the deadline was me!). The “new and improved me” told myself that it could be done tomorrow. What a simpler approach that caused a lot less stress and anxiety! And, the email is still getting sent out!
My favorite example of a pivot is the Friend’s episode when the guys are trying to move a couch upstairs. No matter how often or how loud Ross yells, “pivot!”, the couch will not fit. Sometimes just watching that clip can help remind me to take a deep breath and look for another alternative.
I saw the above saying the other day “when something goes wrong in your life, just yell, “Plot Twist!” and move on”. How true is that! It is also another way of pivoting.
The next time the well thought out plan that you have looked at every possibility does not work out, do not think of yourself or your plan as a failure. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to see how you can revamp it or, if you will, pivot. Remember, it is not a failure if you tried something new or different.
If this is an area you struggle with, let’s connect and see how we can work together to help you stop the self-defeat. Schedule a complimentary call with me at www.calendly.com/denisestyer.