I had a plan, it was set in stone,
A steady job, a mortgage loan.
But life just laughed and shook its head,
And sent my comfort zone to bed.
The market crashed, my boss said “Bye,”
My 401(k) made me cry.
So now I pivot—what’s the play?
I guess I’ll coach or sell on eBay.
I took up yoga, wrote a book,
Tried day trading (that got shook).
Started a podcast, baked some bread,
My dog just stared—”You’re nuts,” he said.
But here’s the thing, and this is key:
The best years aren’t behind, they’re free.
A pivot’s just a fancy way
To say you’ve found a brand-new play.
So when life shifts, don’t sit and quit,
Just grab the ball—and pivot with it.
Panic or pivot? Sometimes, you have to make a choice. My friend Rita McGrath, a Columbia University lecturer, gave a great interview on the Hidden Brain podcast last week called “When to Pivot.” Her focus is mostly on business inflection points, but much of it relates to personal pivots as well.
For me, I know I need to pivot when one of the following three things is happening: I’m losing sleep for multiple weeks due to something messing with my mind, those who know me well are glaring at me and wondering, “What are you pretending not to know?”, and I feel paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision. It’s amplified when all three of these things are happening at the same time.
And, an NDE (Near Death Experience) helps. As many of you know, my allergic reaction to an antibiotic at 47 led to a series of flatlines over the course of 90 minutes after giving a speech. It was a huge wake-up call for this hotelier that my whole life deserved a pivot: career, relationship, health, spiritual practices, you name it! But, hopefully, you’ll find an easier way than paramedics placing electric paddles on your chest.
So much of this requires a mind shift from a fixed to a growth mindset. We know mindsets make a difference as we age. Shifting from a negative to a positive perspective on aging gains you 7.5 years of additional longevity. Being less self-critical and more open to being a beginner could open you up to starting a new business or a new romance.
Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds went from believing she “wasn’t athletic” to becoming an award-winning Spartan obstacle course racer – in her 40s. Joanne Lipman, former editor-in-chief of USA Today, has spent decades doing groundbreaking research on successful reinvention at any age. We’re fortunate that they’re coming together to teach a workshop at MEA Santa Fe called, “What’s Next? Strategies for a Powerful Pivot” that will help you move from limitation to liberation because it’s time to start writing the story you want to live.
Here are some of the benefits you’ll gain from this workshop:
- Tap into intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and “trust your gut” when it comes to reinvention
- Build the skill of “moving before you actually move” in your life or work pivot to gain valuable traction
- Discover and master the art of Unlearning and Relearning to shed old stories and embrace new possibilities
- Harness the power of “Not Yet” to fuel your mastery journey and maintain your motivation in the face of roadblocks
- Learn to cultivate your personal “edges and equalizers” that can jumpstart growth in a new pastime
- Anticipate and ride waves of change as you embrace the unknown and take inspired control of your future.
By the end of your five days, you’ll have the personalized toolkit needed to reinvent how you live and work, pursue mastery of something you love while harnessing age as a secret weapon. Sounds better than electric paddles, right?!
-Chip