Controlled Turning not Wild Spinning

Glenda @ Mitchell News

Be intentional about what you choose to do. Be intentional about actually doing it.

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When Life Calls for a Pivot

Controlled Turning not Wild Spinning

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*Hot Off The Press*

My April newsletter on Busyness – The New Status Symbol, resonated with a huge number of people. As many found it quite difficult to digest it all in one hit – it had a lot in it – during June I decided to tackle the topic in bite sized chunks and put out a LinkedIn series on Busyness to Purposefulness. Thanks to those who reacted or commented on one of more of the posts. If you missed them, you can check them out via my LinkedIn profile.

If you are unable to access them or you’d like me to send you information on one or more of them separately, please let me know.

The highlight of the month was a trip to a little town called Wondai, which is located about a 2 ½ drive inland from our seaside home. Not only were we there to compete in a couple of events in the local Country Running Festival, but it was an excuse to celebrate my birthday. In spite of getting older, I was pleased with my performances.

July is the new financial year in Australia and a good excuse to kick off my new offering. VIP Kickstart is designed for individuals wishing for intensive hands-on help to build their Life Purpose Plan. Using my tried and tested tools and process, we spend an entire day – in person and 1:1 – to build a plan that integrates all areas of your life. This is followed by a whole month of “on call” online support.

Please contact me for further details or for a FREE conversation to ascertain whether it’s something that would interest you.

For the last few months, I have been promising you an easier read. However, once I started writing, I became so absorbed by the topic, that simplicity seemed to go out the window. This month, I have stood by my commitment to keep it short. That said, that doesn’t mean that taking action will automatically be any simpler.

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*Controlled Turning not Wild Spinning*

During the Covid-19 epidemic, there seemed to be a radical increase in the use of the word PIVOT. For business, career and life. As everyone was forced to adapt to lockdowns, social distancing, and changing behaviour, PIVOT became shorthand for adapting to the “new normal”. Whilst the influence of the pandemic has receded, the use of the word appears to have remained fairly high.

What does it really mean?

My research shows the word PIVOT to be borrowed from the French during the Middle English period (11^th-15^th centuries). It referred to a literal turning point or axis. During the 19^th century, use was expanded to include figurative turning.

The constant factor is that movement happens around something fixed.

To my mind, PIVOTing can be likened to a game of swing ball (also known as totem ball or totem tennis). A ball is attached to a pole with a tether, and it rotates around the pole when hit with a paddle or bat. The swivel mechanism at the top of the pole allows for free and exciting play as the ball swings around.

When a player fails to hit the ball deigned to create a direction change, this eventually leads to the ball spinning off the top of the pole in a somewhat uncontrolled fashion. It causes panic and often heralds the end of the game.

Let’s look at it another way.

A true PIVOT is around something stable. It is purposeful. It is intentional. In dance, in business, and in life, a PIVOT is a change in direction while keeping a part grounded. You rotate. You reorient. You face something new with the wisdom of what you’ve known. It is a turning that depends on a fixed point that makes movement possible in a controlled fashion.

To PIVOT is not to spin out of control. It is not a wild reaction, panic or chaos. It is not throwing hands up in defeat and running away. You don’t abandon everything. To PIVOT is not to give up. It is to keep going, but differently. It says: “I am still here. But I cannot stay facing this way.”

There is a tension here. It demands the insight and courage to change and the clarity to know what must stay unchanged.

We all face PIVOTS – some invited, some forced. Some PIVOTS arise from circumstance: a job loss, a health crisis, a relationship ending. Others are born from growth, a quiet inner nudge that says, “this path has ended.” In both cases, the PIVOT is an opportunity for reassessment. We pause. We ask questions. We face uncertainty with whatever courage we can gather.

The question becomes not if to pivot, but how.

PIVOTS can be gentle or jarring. They often come at a cost. To PIVOT means admitting what no longer works – a plan, a story, a self. It requires reflection: not just where am I going, but why am I going at all?

The beauty of a pivot is that it is not a leap into a dark hole. It is movement around something constant. It implies there’s still a centre, still something that holds. That centre might be your faith, your values, your calling, or simply a sense of what matters most.

So how do we PIVOT well? Here are some tips that may help:

Identify your PIVOT point. What remains true for you? What are your core values, guiding beliefs, or non-negotiables?
Be honest about what’s no longer working. Acknowledge when something is finished. This could be a role, a pattern, or a mindset.
Start small. Not all pivots are dramatic. A slight shift in habit, a conversation, or a change in routine can set a new direction. Tiny shifts often lead to real change.
Seek wisdom. Talk to people who have navigated similar transitions. Learn from their resilience and insight. You don’t have to pivot alone.
Embrace the discomfort. PIVOTing often feels awkward before it feels clear. Don’t mistake uncertainty for failure. Change can be clumsy at first.
Stay anchored. Regularly return to your PIVOT point — the values or vision that keep you centred amid change.

If you find yourself in the middle of a PIVOT, take heart. You are not lacking direction or out of control. You are turning, slowly, around something solid.

You’re not giving up. You’re adjusting.

You’re not stuck. You’re reorienting.

You are becoming more aligned.

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*The 7Ps – To be intentional about what you choose to do and intentional about doing it*