Pivot

Friday through Tuesday was perfectly planned.  Or so I thought.  Then, Friday night my daughter gets sick, and we end up in the after-hours clinic.  Pivot.  Then, Saturday morning my son announces that he prefers to carpool with a friend to a basketball tournament.  Pivot.  Then, Sunday afternoon my flight gets cancelled with no other flight options for the day.  Pivot.  Then, Monday morning starts nine hours of travel on what was set to be a two-hour flight.  Pivot.  Then, Tuesday is rearranged to move all the training curriculum from the previous day to one day.  Pivot.

Sound familiar?  The best laid plans can require pivoting skills to execute the change properly.  It’s not always easy to pivot when things appear to get derailed.  But usually there is a positive side to pivoting.  Friday night my daughter received care from a medical practitioner who also happens to be married to a long-time friend.  Connecting with her again made the appointment more enjoyable for my daughter and me.  Saturday I was able to take a different route home from the game, which allowed me to pick up a piece of furniture I purchased.  My son wouldn’t have ben elated to do this, so it was great I could accomplish this alone.  Sunday’s canceled flight meant my sweet dog, Shiloh, got to spend an extra evening and morning with me without needing dog-sitting care.  Monday was spent working ahead on reports, so I could return from my travels with a sense of accomplishment.

Embracing a bit of flexibility, something previously not in my nature, allowed me to receive gifts I wouldn’t have experienced had I not been open to them.  The pivot worked in my favor.  Typically, it will when we allow it.  For example, my mom and her husband recently had a mix-up with international travel arrangements, and the result was getting to the spend the night in a beautiful hotel on the Danube River.  The email sent by them acknowledged the stress tied to the uncertainty of not knowing where they were going to stay that evening and then ended with the focus of getting to experience an overnight at a place they otherwise would have missed.  Again, the pivot worked in favor of the recipient willing to receive its gift.  It doesn’t mean we have to ignore the reality of the challenges presented, but there remains the opportunity to have an open mindset.

The keyword is pivot, which means turning point.  We often mentally translate the word to divot, which is a dent or cut made in the ground.  Instead of feeling stuck or sunk by a circumstance, which is the mindset that a divot can create, try considering if the experience could be providing an opportunity to pivot.  That moment could very well be your chance to turn it into something positive.  The next time your plans don’t unfold as you image and your mind begins telling you that a divot is on its way, ask yourself to reframe and accept the opportunity to experience the joy in the pivot.

Changepoints:

Remember an experience where the unexpected outcome brought you positivity:

·        How does remembering times where you experienced positivity during a change help soften the desire to be cemented to a plan?  What are the areas in your life where you get rigid if plans appear to derail?

·        What happens when you become so tethered to an expected outcome that you fail to relax and allow opportunities to become flexible?

·        How can you encourage your mind to view change as a positive expression from the universe versus seeing it as the world forcing a divot upon you?

·        Who are the people in your life who model the ability to be nimble when life unfolds unexpectedly?

o   In what ways do they demonstrate an openness to change?

o   How can you adopt some of their practices to receive the gifts that pivoting through change can offer?

Believing the world offers a pivot and not a divot when change comes your way, and the experience will bring forth gifts for your benefit.  

outSIGHTin, LLC: Creating awareness as a changepoint for improved organizational results.