Pivoting:Resiliency for Managing Failed Goals

For three weeks in July, I spend my mornings watching the Tour de France --a grueling, unforgiving, and relentless bike race around France --arguably, the most difficult sporting event of all time.

 

Daily, I witness athletes who show nothing less than extreme commitment, unwavering self-discipline, and depths of motivation to persevere despite intense mental and physical agony --day after day after day.  They have spent the last year of their lives preparing their bodies and developing detailed team strategies with hopes of historical victory and glory. 

But this cruel race can, by design, only favor a few.  Whether through crashes or one’s body not recovering as well as their opponents, most suffer without ever achieving that glory.  And when most people might be tempted to pack it in, they stay.  Despite these “failed” goals, the athletes continue to be motivated and continue to subject themselves to the physical and mental beating the race offers.  

Image credit Pattymooney via Wikipedia. Creative Commons SA 3.0

How do they do that?  They pivot.  

Rather than resting in disappointment and giving up (retreat) or fruitlessly pursuing a goal that will never be achieved, they recognize the myriad of other goals out there that can yield success and achievement and focus on those instead.  In the Tour de France, when winning the entire race is unlikely to occur, teams may decide to go for a stage win or some aim for air-time on TV.  It’s making the best out of where one is and salvaging winnings out of an otherwise blocked goal and there’s wisdom in that approach.  

Pivoting is a necessary part of resilience.  

It’s a way in which we show our flexibility and ingenuity and we make use of all of that effort we’ve expended.  In the Tour de France,teams are good at this because they’ve had to practice it so much.  You can get good at it too, just by practicing.  

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Practice: 

Step 1: Think of an important goal you have that you’ve been working towards.  Write it down.  

Step 2: Now, suppose you were not going to reach that goal, say for another year. Write 5 other --but related--goals or objectives.  

Congratulations!  You just practiced pivoting!