Dancing the pivot

The first time I saw this episode of Friends I laughed so hard! What I didn’t know then was that the word pivot would end up becoming a staple and belief in my life that I could easily rely on to move me forward. 

What I also didn’t know was how much playing basketball in high school would also aid in that. 

In basketball, once you stop dribbling you have a pivot foot. One foot has to stay where it’s at, while the other foot can move around. When you’re stuck with a defender in your face, need to pass the ball to someone, or need to shoot, pivoting can become your best tool. 

So it is the same in life. I love drawing these parallel lessons from past experiences. Keeping one foot rooted, grounded to who you are while also knowing and seeing when you’re meant to pivot is such an incredible tool to have. 

Pivoting allows you to see things from a different perspective. Pivoting shows you a new path. Pivoting gets you to where you need to go, just maybe not in the direction you thought. 

I love a good plan - knowing where I’m going, what time I’m getting there, who I’m going with, what to expect - but I also love a good pivot. When there’s a traffic jam, when someone can’t make it, when expectations are thrown out the window...enter the pivot. 

It’s adapting. But staying true at the same time. 

Think back to when pivoting was an essential part of an experience for you. How did you handle the pivot? 

There’s grace in the pivot.

Is there fear in the need to pivot? To change directions? To try a different way? 

I ask this because I think about how much pivoting I’ve done in my own life. But that’s just part of the experience right? All of life is a giant pivot. If something doesn’t work for you, try a new way. There’s constant movement in the pivot.

That’s why I think it’s so important.

There’s no stagnancy around it. Not that we need to constantly be moving. But we also don’t get stuck when we’re operating from a pivot mindset. 

Something doesn’t work out for you? Pivot. 

You get more than you were anticipating? Pivot. 

There’s positive and negative pivots. It’s not all about when things don’t work out. Sometimes things work out way better than you could have imagined. And when that happens, you still need to pivot because you were only prepared for something else. 

I keep thinking about whether pivoting is an art or more of a dance. We dance with the pivot all the time. Is it an art? Sure. But specifically it’s an art in the form of a dance. With ourselves to keep moving, not in the same direction with our head down and bulldozing our way in. But with grace and flow and ease because we know that life isn’t linear. The pivot is proof of that.

Dancing the pivot is a way of flowing through life with less resistance. It’s like a river. The water moving around rocks, trees, or any other impediment. Imagine yourself as the water that flows around the obstacles. Constantly moving in the right direction, never getting stuck, being rerouted when needed. Watching yourself gracefully switch directions as needed.