the fine art of pivoting…(inspired by football, obviously)
i don’t know much about football.
i can’t name positions, stats, or tell you what a first down actually means.
but the one thing i do know? i love watching people pivot.
it’s wild. some 250-pound guy is charging at full speed, and instead of getting trampled, the other guy just… pivots.
quick, sharp, instinctual.
no overthinking. no apology. just nope—this way instead.
and that’s the moment i thought: oh. that’s what i want my life to feel like.
the myth: pivoting means failure
nope. pivoting means you listened.
you listened to your burnout. your inner knowing. your nervous system screaming “no thanks.”
you heard the truth under the noise. and you moved.
pivoting isn’t quitting. it’s course-correcting.
it’s saying, “what once worked doesn’t anymore—and i’m allowed to evolve.”
signs a pivot might be coming:
you’re mentally fried but physically fine
you're performing calm but feel chaotic
you fantasize about moving to a cabin, a van, or the woods
you’re either overfunctioning or completely frozen
your “go-to coping skills” stopped coping
how to pivot like a human (not a headline)
1. name what’s real
not for anyone else—just for you.
you don’t need a journal, a ritual, or a breakthrough. just one honest sentence.
“this isn’t working.”
“i’m pretending it’s fine.”
“i want something different.”
that’s where pivots start.
2. honor what you’re leaving
maybe it worked for a while. maybe it looked good from the outside. maybe you poured a lot of time and energy into it. even if it doesn’t fit anymore, you’re allowed to feel something about letting it go.
3. stop waiting to feel “ready”
pivoting feels awkward. if you wait to feel confident, you’ll stay stuck.
4. pivot gently—but deliberately
no need to leap. just shift. realign by 5 degrees. see what changes.
the takeaway:
pivoting isn’t failure. it’s survival with strategy.
you don’t need a full plan. you need one moment of clarity, and the guts to act on it.
if football players didn’t pivot, they’d get flattened.
if we don’t pivot, we do too—just slower, and with more self-doubt.
you’re allowed to change directions.
even if it’s messy. even if it’s late. even if someone’s yelling from the sidelines.
especially then.
