Pivoting on Purpose
As with any great adventure, there comes a point when we must abandon our original plan and pivot.
One of my guiding principles in this life is adventure.
To seek it. To experience it. To be in constant pursuit of adventures both large and small.
When you Google the meaning of “adventure” you may come across this definition:
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky.
Doesn’t that make you want to pack your bags and fulfill your Eat. Pray. Love. dreams?
I only think about it every day.
Though I love an adventure that involves trains, planes, and automobiles, that’s not the kind of adventure I’ve had on the forefront of my mind.
I’m thinking about the kind of adventure that requires you go nowhere.
Rather, it requires that you lean back…
instead of in...
That you allow yourself to fall…
instead of jump.
A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of attending a retreat in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. We spoke of many things and I absorbed as much as I could but there’s one concept from the weekend that seems to be more top of mind than others.
It’s this idea of allowing rather than forcing.
This may sound seemingly obvious but growing up in a world where even tea towels say “take the leap” and “just go for it,” I’ve had a hard time reconditioning myself to believe that goals can be met and opportunities can appear when we take a trust fall instead of a jump.
Falling and jumping have two very different energies and essences.
Consciously allowing ourselves to fall almost implies this release that is simultaneously accompanied by relief.
Think about a time when you walked into a room to see a big, fluffy bed after a long, tiresome day.
It makes you want to turn your back to the bed, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and fall into the fluff.
Jumping, on the other hand, implies this intense, revved up energy, and force.
Right now, I’m more interested in the feeling of falling.
One of the retreat leaders said this brilliant thing to me.
She said: what if when you get to the “edge” you just take another step instead of stopping and jumping? There’s no need to jump if you never stop taking one step after the other; trusting the cadence of your stride.
Metaphorically speaking, she was implying that sometimes, the next step is just that, a step. A soft and trusting step.
No jump. No fanfare. No effort and energy required.
Just allow one foot to follow the other.
Letting your lungs slowly fill with air, allowing your shoulders to drop, and release into the next step.
So, what does all of this have to do with anything?
Frankly, it has everything to do with well… everything.
At least it does in my life at the moment.
I often get asked: what’s the hardest part about being an entrepreneur?
As of lately, my answer is this:
Pivoting.
As with any great adventure, there comes a point when we must abandon our original plan and pivot.
Sometimes, we can salvage pieces of the original plan and put them to use in our new one. However, other times, we must scrap the original plan all together.
This is something I often struggle with…
I’ve spent the last few years building something I’m not even quite sure I want to keep pursuing.
When we reach a realization such as this one, we are left to ponder whether pivoting means that we are giving up on something too soon or whether we are allowing ourselves to fall into the unknown so that another opportunity can appear.
I’m not even sure it’s necessary to know “we tried everything to make it work” before we exit from one plan to another.
I think sometimes staying in something just to “try everything” before moving on can delay what is inevitable…
At this point, I am pursuing my pivot and trying to remind myself that all of “this” is just an adventure: an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky.
Right now, pivoting feels risky…
To my ego.
To my future.
To my timeline.
But then again, why not?
Why not pivot and pursue something ON purpose rather than finding a logical justification or reason to project to the world?
I’m learning that sometimes (most times) when we feel called to move in another direction, we must move despite being unable to see the outcome.
Very rarely can we make a decision and know exactly how it’s going to turn out… that’s why it’s all an adventure.
When we set out on an adventure, we are pursuing adventure for the sake of adventure.
As the saying goes: Trust the Process. Enjoy the adventure.
Here’s to pivoting on purpose and leaning back as the adventure unfolds before us.