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What’s in a “pivot”? Re-visioning Your World after COVID-19

Last week, within a space of 2 days, I found myself involved in several conversations where the word “pivot” or “pivoting” was used.  I hadn’t heard that in a while.  New buzz words are here now, from “social distancing” (words that together might have been an oxymoron until COVID-19!), to “new normal”.  Pivoting is not new, and I’ve noticed that it tends to show up in times of change. It appears to have been resurrected as we find ways to describe and come to terms with circumstances and situations that many find challenging.

One of the companies “pivoting” is taking advantage of COVID-19 to sell a product that had previously languished.  All of a sudden it has become a big seller.  In that case, all hands and resources are now on deck to manufacture, produce and market the new product. The pivot in this case is a shift in focus and provide a product that is in high demand. Yea! A good news story.

In another situation the person was resisting the word “pivoting” until she changed her perspective.  In her mind the word meant failure and the only reason to “pivot” is when things aren’t working.  Once she saw her situation as a process of transforming, she relaxed and stopped resisting the word and the process.  For her, pivot was a change of perspective.

Perspective or perception can make or break us – it’s the lens through which we view our world, and determines many of our actions and reactions.  Is something bad happening or something good happening? Each person will respond or react differently to the same situation, based on their perspective of what is happening.

It reminds me of a story about Thomas Edison.  As many know, he bought a Canadian patent and it still took him over 2,000 attempts to make the first incandescent light bulb.  When a reporter asked: “Mr. Edison… how does it feel to have failed over 2,000 times?”, Edison is reported to have looked quizzical and replied: “Failure? I didn’t fail … that was all feedback.”.

Now that’s some perspective for you – a transformation to be sure!

The third conversation on pivoting was a situation where someone had kept several areas of her life separated and segregated, and had been feeling the conflict and stress. In her mind, focusing on 1 area was to the exclusion of another, which caused a lot of stress and conflict. When she wasn’t focusing on 1 area, the other was suffering – at least in her mind.  In this case pivoting was a decision to integrate these areas – an internal shift which resulted in greater alignment and integration, and greater results all the way around!

So what does pivot mean to you?

For a complimentary coaching consultation to become clear on strategies to pivot your life, schedule a time here.

We have come through a “pause” period and our society is starting to open up again.  

Most of us will get up tomorrow, and we will live another day.  Our choice is in 1) whether we live that day and every other day by default, with the same patterns of thought, beliefs, perspectives, dramas and traumas that have generated the results we have up until now, or, 2) whether we live the day and our life by design and create the life we love.

COVID -19 can be a pivot point, yet whether or not it will be is up to you.

If you’re now ready to pivot and engage in your life in a new way, click here and schedule a time to chat.

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