Photo by Jordan Ladikos on Unsplash
Here’s a life lesson from my own experience that I hope will serve you.
Sometimes life throws us a few curve balls just to make sure we remember how to pivot. By pivot, I mean… adapt, course-correct, go to Plan B, or just plain accept that something happened that you don’t like or didn’t want but can’t change.
The good news is that those little reminders keep our “pivot muscles” toned so we are more resilient when the bigger challenges come our way.
In the fall of 2022, I was traveling to visit family and speak at that year’s International Human Design Conference. I discovered that I needed to pivot on multiple occasions (gratefully, for minor issues) during that trip. I won’t bore you with all the details. But the lesson I pulled from these experiences–and wanted to share with you–is to welcome and value those curve balls.
Sometimes, you can even turn them into positives!
It’s easy to curse the curve balls, resent them, toss some blame around, feel stupid, or take a victim stance. But these little opportunities to pivot are actually gifts. Or at least it’s possible to perceive them that way. When you choose to see them as opportunities, you avoid all of the drama and most of the chaos, and you get on with things much more quickly. Plus, you strengthen those pivot muscles. And that’s a very good thing.
It’s also easier to appreciate the nice things that happen when you aren’t focused on the “bad” things–those pesky curve balls.
Here’s the thing: personal growth is ALWAYS just outside our comfort zone. We actually need to be challenged in order to grow.
The trick is to step into those opportunities to expand our awareness and our power, not resist them. As we get older, not only do our bodies tend to become stiffer but so do our attitudes. By embracing changes and challenges as opportunities to pivot, we stay flexible and get better at it. (By staying active and loving our bodies, we can stay physically flexible, too.)
Learning to pivot with grace and ease will build your resilience, strengthen your personal power, and train you to adapt to the flow rather than resist it. And that’s a prescription for a happier life. All flow, no force. And no resistance.
