On pivoting and trying new things

Because life is a work in progress, and we plant our idea seeds as we go.

I wrote most of these words in my daily memory keeping journal recently, inspired by the piece of art you see above. It feels like a rather universal message, so I’ve fleshed it out a little to share with you today.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. To experiment. To change course and pivot.

Life isn’t about never making mistakes or sticking to what is known and familiar, even if it is bringing us more grief than it is worth.

We are often scared to venture off the familiar path because we don’t know where that other enticing looking trail may lead, and what twists and turns may lie in wait for us ahead. Our minds crave what is familiar and known, even when it isn’t serving us any more. And it demands answers, guarantees, and outcomes that we can control before it will even countenance a change.

But life doesn’t expect us to know all the answers before we even begin — life just demands that we live, as freely as we can. Life doesn’t even allow us to control all the outcomes, not even on the familiar path we are walking. And it certainly doesn’t offer us any guarantees.

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Because life, it comes from living! From trying new things and taking chances. We don’t need to throw all caution to the wind, but neither should we allow caution to become an impediment that only holds us back. That is no way to live!

What we fear, I think, is failure. But what we forget is that we are not failures if we try something that doesn’t work out. We can start and stop, move and change, pivot at any time. We can plot a different destination right in the middle of our journey.

Life is a work in progress.

All the paths that we take tell the unique story of this one precious life that we are living. So scatter those ideas along your path like seeds. See what takes root and grows without being completely beholden to it.

Change course.

Scatter some more seeds and see what grows.

And when, after a few years, you turn and look back, you’ll see all the beautiful plants that you’ve sown, all the paths you’ve trodden — the rocky and the firm; the lush and the barren; weaving together into a tapestry that is as unique and beautiful as you!

Let’s chat!

I love chatting with you in the comments or via e-mail. Here are a few questions to help us get the conversation rolling:

• Do you find it easy to change course and pivot?

• What helps you navigate change more easily?

• If your life were a garden, what idea seeds would you plant? Let’s cheer you on your journey!

• When you look back on the path you’ve walked so far, what seeds have taken root? Gold stars for all that you have accomplished!

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