When I look at the word Pivot, it brings to my mind a childhood memory of a playground – the see-saw – a rustic long wooden board fixed onto a triangular base -the fulcrum/pivot. This part is not meant to move. The person sitting on either end of the seesaw, moves up and down. This is done by pushing down/pushing up on one end of the seesaw. As children, we would sit on the ends of the wooden board, and push with our feet to see-saw back and forth. It was fun, it was exciting and we would always want to be ‘up’.
In science, a pivot is ‘the one central thing that something depends upon.’
In business, pivot means to shift in a new direction, to adjust to a new environment.
The point of pivoting still means that there is ‘one central thing’ that is immovable, that is the point of strength.
Pivoting relies on experience, on the ability to see a foreseeable future with a strategic goal. It can mean pushing the horizon of the product or service, to adapt to new ways of living. People are adjusting to the existing and new trends in business, online communications, work, and relationships. While many have found ways to pivot, others are looking at existing resources, fine-tuning skills and talents, to navigate into new directions.
The Financial Times lexicon defines it as ‘a shift in strategy.’
If I was to put it in context of our self-development: It is an ability to shift our mindset.
Pivoting is the ability to look at reality from a new angle. It is said that a crisis can become rare opportunities to pivot into new situations. Our thought processes pivot around limiting circumstances to find solutions. And when we find that one thing that can work, we are facing ‘up’.
When I wrote the book on self-esteem, I never realised that what I was doing was ‘pivoting’. The immovable part of my skill was my writing skills, the shift was in understanding the new potential to write in the self-help space. And then, I pivoted into becoming a life coach, pivoted further into ghostwriting.
In this process of pivoting, I was opening my self up to new opportunities and pushing through my comfort zone. I like being in a safe space and in my comfort zone. Oddly enough, the pandemic has broadened my horizons, given me the confidence to learn new skills.
Writing comes naturally, alone, in the comfort of my environment, but it’s always been communicating through written words. To pivot strategically has given me a much needed motivation to speak, to interact with people, to exchange ideas and develop a new way of thinking. And build new friendships and bonds.
Pivoting challenges our own beliefs of ourselves. It gives us a chance to renew ourselves. When every news bite tells us everything is falling apart, we can easily get stuck in a state of analysis paralysis.
When we pivot – we challenge the status quo. We proactively make a change to better our immediate environment. It is a mindset shift first, before it is a strategic action. We then help others find a way to deal with their situations. We look at existing difficulties from all angles, and then shift, and making small shifts can become a win/win.
Founded on the strength of experience, we can learn to pivot into any new direction. We just need to think differently, make a shift from within.
Thinking differently means learning how to use existing skills into a new field of work.
My writing career has been a path of self-development. With a new mindset I have pivoted into the self-improvement field. As a life coach, I can niche as a Writing Coach. It means that I link up my decades of experience as a writer, in helping others develop and write. To inspire others to be who they want to be, follow their dreams, and make a difference, is a new pivot.
Do pivot. It gives you a chance to rediscover yourself, redefine your strengths and becomes a reason to find out your true potential.
See-saw through life, look at the world around you. Which way are you looking? Up or Down?
Shobha Nihalani: Meanderings 