Pivot. It’s become quite the buzz word these days as so many of us have had to adjust our plans in 2020, both personal and professional due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m not sure anyone was prepared for what the world has been experiencing in the last few months.
I’ve seen social media posts with memes talking about how buying a 2020 planner was a waste of money, but I don’t necessarily agree. Sure, you might not be booking any lunch dates or dinner meetings, but there are still things you can do. You can do an online course, meet virtually or maybe even start writing that book you’ve always been thinking about.
Instead of thinking about all the things that you planned to do that can’t happen right now (in-person events, travel, etc.), consider the things you can do. There is opportunity everywhere, even in a crisis like this pandemic. The key is to not get caught up in what’s no longer possible and start focusing on what is.
Of course shifting focus can be challenging when you have your heart set on something and you’ve been looking forward to seeing your hard work come together. Disappointment is never fun, but it’s also not unavoidable. It’s okay to be disappointed, but I think we have to make sure we don’t become discouraged and give up entirely.
I think what’s gotten me through these last 2 months has been reminding myself to focus my energy and time on the things I have some control over. It’s helped me to stay focused and get things done regardless of how uncertain things seem in the world right now. It’s helped that I’ve spent more time in my head than watching the news 😉
Regardless of how off course you are right now, there’s still lots of time to review the plan you had for 2020 and tweak it to work in these changing times. Don’t wait for things to go “back to normal” to take action on your goals. Look at what you can do to still make your goals a reality and focus your time and energy doing that.
If you’ve heard me speak about goals before, you know that I like to equate it to going on a road trip. A lot of us are encountering the biggest road block ever. Instead of waiting for the roads to reopen, maybe it’s time to start looking for an alternate path.