In basketball, “pivoting” is the primary role that allows players to maintain their position while looking for opportunities to advance the play. When a player receives the ball and finds themselves surrounded by defenders, they must quickly assess their options. By pivoting, they can create space, change direction, and find an opening to break free from their situation. The same can be true for real-life situations. In real life when we find ourselves feeling the need to create space, change direction or break free, what can we do? PIVOT!
Pivoting is a skill where you must look at one’s life and assess the current circumstances while also identifying potential openings that allow options. This can be one of the hardest things for us to do! We can see options and ways to pivot for others, yet somehow, when it comes to pivoting in our own lives we can really get “stuck with the ball” so to speak. Our daily choices of too many poor diet choices, too many late nights, not enough movement, and a lack of adequate stress and mental health support can come in like a whole other team surrounding us. The first step in pivoting towards better health is acknowledging these issues, or even a (one) issue and understanding that change is possible. Just as a basketball player looks for an opening after pivoting on one foot, we must look for opportunities to take one step forward towards a different action too! Any different positive step forward within our daily routines—such as incorporating a vegetable into every meal, going to bed 20 minutes earlier, or walking for 15 minutes a day is a pivotal move forward!
Another area that can impact our health and wellbeing, making us truly feel stuck is being in relationships that don’t serve us. When our relationships become a source of stress and unhappiness, it’s like getting blocked in in the game with no one to pass to. Toxic relationships, defined by Elizabeth Scott, PhD (VeryWell.com) says, “A toxic relationship is one that makes you feel unsupported, misunderstood, demeaned, or attacked. A relationship is toxic when your well-being is threatened in some way—emotionally, psychologically, and even physically.” These relationships can be romantic, work-related, family, or friendly. What matters is recognizing when a relationship is unhealthy, and knowing the ball is now in your court and you need to find options to move forward. There are kind and loving ways to set boundaries with certain individuals or seeking new connections that foster positivity and support. Consider what step forward, in your harder relationships will help you (YES YOU) feel free and clear, not overwhelmed, and overpowered.
The workplace can often feel like a ballgame. If you are on the right team, your time at work may feel like you are winning, and each game (day) goes smoothly. Yet, if you are on the wrong team, or playing against the wrong teams, it’s hard to deny how boxed in you can feel, leading to burnout and dissatisfaction. Considering most people need to make money, pivoting at work needs to be extra mindful evaluating what aspects of the job are causing distress. Is it your mindset? Workload? Leadership? Workplace culture? Does the drive to work set you up for a difficult day? Taking the time to think about what the cause of this stress is helps to see where to pivot and what alternatives are available before you move forward. Pivoting might be discussing concerns with supervisors, utilizing EAP services, asking for a new desk chair or lunchtime, making your kids take the bus instead of you scrambling to drive them or yes, even considering new job opportunities that align better with your personal preferences. Some pivots take more time, this might be one unless you’ve been observing your options for a while now.
In basketball, you don’t hear about pivoting a lot, until you see a player who is stuck and needs it. You know because the crowd goes wild, everyone on the sidelines is yelling opinions to pass, shoot, or dribble ahead. Yet, the player who feels stuck often can’t see the options and the added pressure from the crowd is weighing more heavily on them. Just like an athlete who must learn to pivot effectively, we all benefit from the ability to navigate challenges successfully and allow others the time and space to do the same. We all can overcome any obstacles just by identifying where we feel stuck and seek out “free spaces.” Sometimes a pivot results in passing the ball to help lessen the load. Sometimes the pivot means dribbling ahead and feeling the ease to move more freely. Other times the pivot brings us right up to the basket for the winning slam dunk. So, take a breath, take a look around you and decide, what will your next step be towards what matters to you and move. The time to move is now, it may just increase your health and happiness in your body and mind, your relationships and even at work! Breathe – look – go! It’s pivotal.