That Pivotal Moment

Think of something you want to accomplish. Create a plan to help you get there, and go. Sounds simple, right? For some of us, it isn’t that easy. Between juggling jobs, kids, adulting, and everything else, it can be difficult to stay afloat—let alone, focus on achieving some “unrealistic” goal.

But what if I told you that your goal, however unattainable it may feel, can be just a few steps away? It all comes down to manifesting your desired reality, preparing your roadmap to curate the necessary steps, and the dedicated execution of those steps in order to achieve your wildest dreams.

Now, you may not be ready for a process like this if you can’t handle the first initial phase. The most important task on your to-do list is being fully transparent with yourself. Transparency allows us to look into ourselves for what we truly are, and helps to heal us from within.

Being fully transparent forces us to be vulnerable and honest about what’s really holding us back. And honestly, the number one obstacle that most of us face is ourselves.

At Pivot Tech, we start each of our cohorts with a celebratory orientation that introduces our new students to what their life holds for the next 20 weeks. We encourage our students to share with everyone their “why.” I have to admit, that question left me a little perplexed the first time I was asked, simply because I hadn’t really thought about the answer. The quick cop-out was mentioning my kids, and my wanting to provide a better life for them. Though this is very true, I quickly realized that it was layers to that onion, that I needed to peel back, in order to hone in on my actual intention. With that being said, once I became transparent with myself, it was clear that months before I knew of an opportunity with Pivot, I felt stifled in a dead-end, toxic job. My creative juices had all but stopped. I’d lay in the bed in the morning and dread getting up. I’d leave work and would come home and go straight to bed. I made fairly decent money and was grateful for income during a pandemic, but my mental state, my family, and my health were all in shambles. When I felt like I had hit rock-bottom, I made a promise to myself that I would never allow myself to feel that way again.

I had all kinds of reasons as to why it wasn’t the right time to leave that job—even though I was fully aware of how it was affecting me. I wanted to add more experience on my resume, I didn’t want to get my household off of their routine in the middle of the school year, I didn’t want to risk being without income, I wanted a couple more checks and then I’d be ready to go. All excuses. All roadblocks that I created in front of myself with my own imagination. I found myself craving any type of inspiration or motivation amongst my daily frustration, and I finally had to look at myself in the mirror and ask, “Why can’t I?”

Why can’t I enjoy what I do each day? Why can’t I feel fulfilled after a challenging work week? Why can’t I finish a job and know that I’ve made a difference? Wanna know the secret? I totally could. I just had to make the tough decision to create that destiny for myself.

I have since left that job and all the negativity behind me, but I’m thankful for the time spent there. I had a chance to learn a lot about myself, like what certain triggers are, or how to tell when my plate is too full. And now, I can apply those exercises going forward. However, I’ve also gained the trust within myself to know when to listen to my gut, realize that my mental health is the most important thing I can manage, and that me being able to provide for my children is just the icing on the cake.

Being fully transparent with myself changed my life for the better. I know that I can make sound, well-thought-decisions when I’m honest with myself. I urge you to do the same. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you feel stuck with where you are in life:

1. What drives me?
2. What has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make?
3. What could have made that process easier?
4. How do I measure my own success?
5. Does my career fulfill me?
6. What stresses me out the most at work? At home?
7. Are there ways that I can work smarter and not harder?
8. Am I happy?
9. Am I financially secure?
10. Do I have a back-up plan set in case things don’t work out as planned?
11. Where do I see myself in 5-10 years?
12. What’s stopping me from being that version of myself?
13. What’s the worst that could happen if I bet on me?
14. Why can’t I have everything I’ve imagined?

Hopefully, these questions will spark your interest in peeling back the layers in your own life, and help you get out of your own way. Once I stopped making excuses for myself, I found a job that I love; I make a difference in our community every single day through my work with Pivot; my family is well-provided for, and I’ve even had the time to get back to things “the old me” loved to do, including being a small business owner and a creative.

Making decisions is tough. Making the “right” decision is even harder, and knowing when to Pivot, whether in your professional or personal life, doesn’t come with a golden star or pat on the back.

It comes with sacrifice, hard work, and lots of both planning and execution to get there. Just know, the end-result will be so very rewarding, that you’ll be left thinking, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

Stay tuned for upcoming posts: “Why Is Data the Most Valuable Resource in the World?” and “You’re Pretty Smart For a Black Kid.”

Photo Credit: picography.co.