Book 3:Pivot by Adam Markel
They say our generation goes through life at a much faster pace than any generation that has ever lived. If the average human lives to 80, the amount of time left to achieve our goals is not 80 less than our current age. It is half of that.
In this book review blog, I write about why now, more than ever, it is critical for us to pivot. In our personal lives, how we do things with our families, our career, business, etc.
Pivot means to change the way we do things. Pablo Picasso is known for the famous quote, “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” I often say we know what we need to do to make our lives better, but we put it off because we think we have time. We lose out on an opportunity to make an impact because we are scared to take a risk and step into something different. The sad truth is that we do not have forever. In order to cease opportunities and answer our “what ifs," we have to pivot.
Here are 3 things to remember when we are afraid to pivot.
1.Real risk is regret: On their deathbed, people tend to talk more about the risks they never took. The sudden realization that they didn't live the life they hoped they would or knew they were capable of. The business they never started or the career they always wanted but were scared to pursue because it was not something they knew. The author emphasizes that the real risk is in not changing. We all have a chance at a life different from the one we currently live. We have to pivot because the bitter taste of regret is just not worth it..
2.Our unhappy state prepares us: When making the decision to change, we tend to think, “If we got it right the first time, we wouldn't need to change." If we had chosen this career in college, we wouldn't be having to start over again at 30.The truth is, changing a career doesn't make your previous career a waste. Breaking out of a toxic relationship doesn't mean the years we spent in the old one are wasted. Why? Because we have learned. We get to see what unhappiness looks like so we know not to go for something like that again.Where we are now, if we are being pushed to pivot, it is a clue to what is not for us to prepare us for what we should be.
3.Reinvention is for everyone: Chances are, you have witnessed someone change their lives. Either body transformation, career pivot, moved to a different continent, etc. With so much evidence around, we still say change is only for certain people. All these people whose stories we read about pivoted with less money and time and probably with more challenges. We do not have to be born from certain families in order to pivot. Pivoting is a choice.
I like that the author demystifies a lot of things that hold people back from wanting to change their lives, as there are things we have used to excuse ourselves from building the lives of our dreams. Whenever you are scared to step out of what is comfortable yet causing you a lot of unhappiness, remember that the real risk is getting to the end of your life and regret not having taken the risk.