WHEN AND HOW TO PIVOT

Question: what do the following things have in common?:

• Brand consultant

• Bartender and aspiring writer

• Professional writer and published author

• Academic getting an advanced degree

• Fitness coach

• Entrepreneur and founder

• CEO after taking over the company

• Business consultant and coach/advisor

• Book collaborator for power women

Answer: They are just a few examples of major pivots I’ve taken in my career.

I got a lot of emails in response to my newsletter last week, which discussed how to deal when things are taking too long to come to fruition. At the end, I mentioned the power in pivoting, which really seemed to resonate!

So much business advice (and all of the manifesting discourse) is about FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS your attention and intention as the path to success.

I don’t agree.

First of all, laser-focus all the time on one thing can be exhausting, and boring, and lead to burnout.

Also, these days, and increasingly more so as the days go on, many careers are not linear, especially for those of us who’ve stepped out of the confines of more traditional or corporate jobs.

But either way, almost everyone experiences deviations - intentional or not, proactive or forced - along the way.

So, really, the “when” to pivot is a foregone conclusion. It’s either going to happen, or needs to happen.

(Side note: It’s funny to look back and think about what I wanted even five years ago - if I hadn’t pivoted, well, I shudder to think about that.)

Aside from those bigger pivots I mentioned above, I’m also constantly iterating on my business and shifting my areas of focus accordingly in smaller and more incremental ways - tweaking my approach, my pricing, my strategy, my biz dev, all of it.

So many founders and entrepreneurs and solopreneurs I know or work with do the same - in fact, it’s integral to their success.

How to pivot gracefully, especially when you’re not a professional ballerina: 

As I said last week, it takes courage to change course and (maybe) step outside of other people’s expectations…or your own. Hold your nose, squeeze your eyes shut and take the baby step.

Everything is a building block to your next level. Take a moment and pat yourself on the back for how far you’ve come - and for the heartaches  all your previous pivots might’ve saved you from.

Pivoting can be messy and uncomfortable. As Brene Brown says, “get comfortable being uncomfortable.” 

But pivoting is also powerful, a real opportunity to reach new heights. Tap into your confidence (How? See the point above). 

So get excited - and remember, whether something is good or bad, scary or an opportunity, is all in your perception of it.