I love this mug I got from the former "O" Store in Chicago. I love drinking coffee from it and thinking about my "What's next?". Life's journey certainly hasn't been a straight line. People look at me and think, "She's got it made. What a success!"
If they only knew.
This Harvard MBA graduate and Marketing Executive has had to weather MANY storms--the Weather Channel ain't got nothing on me! Divorces. Lawsuits. Layoffs. Foreclosure. Bankruptcy. Uh-Huh. Didn't know all that, did-ja? But I'm still standing. Still smiling. This mug says is best. "Use what you have to run toward your best." That's all anyone can do. The key is--don't get stuck.
I read. A lot. I read this article by Shannon Ashley on Medium about how when setbacks happen, the best way to get over them is to outgrow them. Outgrow rejection. Outgrow heartbreak. That job that didn't work out. That lover that broke your heart. Be someone that would NOT want to be in that job or with that person because you have GROWN into something better, bigger and stronger. In this way, you can be sure that a life-changing event does not have to stop your life. If change happens, just change your direction. It can help you PIVOT.
Pivot Points are there to show you when to make the turns that can help you grow, and growth sometimes hurts. The term "growing pains" isn't a fallacy. In physiological terms, muscles and bones actually hurt as they go through growth spurts. I remember, don't you?
And, JE-SUS! When your heart gets broken, when you lose that job, when your business doesn't gain the heights you thought it would, when the ride or die friend doesn't ride anymore…you think life is over. Well, IT ISN'T, unless you decide it is. What you are facing is a Pivot Point. Which way will you go? Forward, Backward or Stuck?
I choose Forward. And most times, I don't know what that means. I only know that if I keep putting one foot in front of the other, through tears, through fear, through ...PISSOFF-ITY (that's my new word for being mad!), I will see a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, you can't see the light, unless you see the darkness first. Because if you don't see darkness, the light seems frivolous, not worth pursuing, not pragmatic, not practical, not SAFE.
Well. That's when Faith steps in. And as Stormie Norman says, God gives you just enough light for the step you're on. And guess what else? YOU are the light at the end of the tunnel.
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One of the biggest "AH-HA" moments of Pivot Points is knowing when to turn to YOU!
Stop giving away your power to someone else to solve your problems. To find solutions. To make a way. Seek advice, yes. Decide for you, NO!!! You've done it before. You can do it again. I get it. Sometimes you are just TIRED. You want someone else to take over for a minute so you can rest. Then that minute turns into a week, the week into a month, a month into a year. Next thing you know, your power is reduced, and you start feeling like you aren't a BadAss anymore.
Well, Welcome back to BADASS LAND, Dorothy! Click your heels, three times. You were already Home. Time to pivot back to YOU.
What I've found is that when you keep moving forward, keep pivoting and making the turn toward a better direction, major surprises are in store! I am SOOO excited to begin teaching marketing at Loyola University! I got great advice to seek it out, and I decided to reach out about it months ago, just put it OUT THERE.
Through a long time relationship with a friend who was already teaching there, we became re-connected, and I invested time to explore possibilities. Was it worth it? YES! How did I know? Even though I wasn't paid to audit her class, I was EXCITED. I loved being back in the classroom with students. I had a ball. Market-TING is my THING!! So, I kept moving toward it. When I got the call about an opening to teach with only two weeks to prepare, it was an easy YES.
So, here's the the deal as I see it. Life will show you road signs: turn left, right, stop, slow down, speed up. But the most important thing is: KEEP IT MOVING. If you come up to a stop sign, do like you do when you drive...stop, look both ways, but then MOVE ON THROUGH!!
I could keep this post going forever...but I won't. You get my drift.
Pivot Points. Knowing When To Make The Turn. The benefits are huge: Build Resilience. Ignite Reinvention. Embrace Resurrection in all its many forms. Jesus taught us all how to rise from the dead. Keep the Faith, Trust Yourself, Just Pivot and Make the Turn.
That's what Sizzling is all about.
Tell me about your Pivot Points!! I Want to KNOW!!!
Hugs and Love,
Amy
Amy S. Hilliard is an award-winning entrepreneur, corporate marketing executive, health and wellness advocate, lifestyle blogger and author. A Harvard MBA, Howard graduate and community contributor, she is the single mother of two young professionals proudly making their way in the world. Connect with Amy on Instagram at @amyshilliard and @sizzlingafter60
