Priming your pivot pump
I switch horses a lot. It's my way to pivot through a precious life.
Welcome to Hope Sparks. This week I’m diving into:
Switching horses can be valuable.
Spotlight on an inspired Ai team making Ai tools accessible for all! Yes, Ai is here. To stay. I’m inspired to explore a human approach.
Priming your pivot pump. January resolutions begone. I’m digging ongoing pivots through life.
Gentle January. Reads and recos on being gentle with yourself.
Switching horses can be valuable
I’m told by some that I switch horses a lot.
I don’t see it this way.
In fact, I am a trainer of horses. Mini shetland, long haired, fuzzy beasts.
I’m a jumper. Jumping slightly ahead, or behind the people in my orbit.
Instead of keeping my adventures, fails and experiments locked up, I do them out in the open.
I see this as my way to till the ground, plow a path with tools, and reveal lessons for those curious to jump too. We humans like to watch others flub, fumble and succeed? It’s human nature.
Sometimes people scoff at my experiments, but they still read on. They are curious to see what turn the path will take. Some take my lead, inspired by this new direction and what’s possible.
Either way, I love having you here with me.
Back to the horses. At the ripe age of 8 (my favourite number) I made it a life’s mission to let my life rip. I jumped on that little pony of life. I’m still riding it with all my gusto.
For 40 years it has been a wild adventure.
“You are meant to change. You are meant to change your mind. You are meant to change your perception. You are meant to change what you think you want within this world. You are meant to evolve, you are meant to adapt, you are meant to grow. You are meant to shed old layers. You are meant to let go. The body is designed to digest and metabolize and renew itself, cell by cell, and thought by thought. Trust the process. Realize that we don’t ever really have to let go; we just have to accept what’s already gone.” - Brianne Wiest
I definitely don’t do this all alone. I'm not in a bubble. Rather I hunt for those who stand out. People I can learn from and with. Our world can feel as if it is filled with a sea of sameness. I gravitate to real people pushing their uniqueness out—impact drivers of all ages and backgrounds. They are farmers, educators, builders, creators, parents, techies and uncommon communities.
I insert myself as hopeful glue.
My motivation is to to connect, pivot with and collaborate on impactful projects. Along the way I shine a spotlight on remarkable humans around the world who are taking brave steps.
Then I share them unabashedly.
Client Spotlight
You'll come to expect these spotlights. It’s my space to rave and toot my horn about the amazing work my clients are bringing to the world. I want you to meet them too.
Meet Scott Meyer - a dad of four, podcaster and creator, CEO of two start ups and avid content creator is balancing a lot. He wrangles a lot with charm and care.
He’s also bringing in humour, humanness and a bright spark to anyone who watches his content on AI for all.
Join our jam session where we talk about making pivots in life to push out who we want to be in work and life.
And his latest venture Chipp.ai - Offering up AI tools for all is the kind of human approach to Ai I'm interested in.
If you’re interested in exploring Ai for your business, he’s your guy!
How is your year primed for a pivot?
I’m not a new year's resolution person. But, I definitely like to make space for plenty of pivots in my life. September is usually my prime pivot period. Then I often take stock of what needs shifting in January.
"The road to happiness is made of a thousand pivots. It is not that you take a leap once, but that you keep leaping in the direction of what warms your chest and makes life feel worthwhile." -Brianna Wiest, The Pivot Year
Many people are feeling change afoot.
Shifting careers.
Changing their children’s approach to education and learning.
Making jumps from a relationship that isn’t working.
Taking a pause to tend to health.
Pivots look different from person to person.
Pivoting is like a treasure hunt within yourself. You dig deep, discover hidden talents, desires, old forgotten passions and needs. It's about learning who you truly are and embracing that unique part of you.
I don’t think a pivot needs to be a massive earthquake but a gentle, intentional shift.
I also don’t believe a pivot needs to be completely defined and designed from the outset. The intention to pivot is often all that’s needed to change course in a new direction.
How do I prime for a pivot?
These are a few of my ways in.
Vitamin ME
Even saying this term fills me with care. Hat tip to one of my magical clients Vinita for coining this term. It moves me into the headspace of being intentional. When I create a rhythm for coming home to myself, giving Hope some Vitamin ME, I am instantly in an elevated space.
It's like my brain and heart get a signal, "you matter".
What does this look like? I am an early morning riser. For me, this is the time to carve out rituals. A zone to make space for ideas and emotions to arise. In case you’re curious, my vitamin ME time in the morning looks like. Yours will look different.
Movement like Qi Gong, stretching, sometimes a few pushups. When I’m having a tough morning (or week) I have been known to dance it out a few songs in the dark. Sade has been my jam lately:) There’s something about moving in the dark, eyes closed, that syncs me up with myself.
Journaling for 10 minutes. I like to purge whatever I am thinking about out of my head. I get it out onto paper, with full honesty, as a measure of my mindset is. When I see the words staring back at me, I can’t hide from them. I see how powerful my thoughts are to seeding my emotions and actions.
Simple meditation (usually just 10 mins). I love to do this with my brother James when I can.
I sip my beloved coffee slowly. Yes. This is essential. I adore my brew.
What about you?
Choose your time where you can focus. In our busy world (work, family, expectations, should's) it’s easy to get whipped into a flinging state. We often hurl ourselves from one to-do to the next. Right? Most of us find little time to reflect, review and explore what we may want and need. Consider the adage, "If You Don't Know Where You Are Going, How Do You Get There?"
Vitamin ME IS a secret weapon. It's custom to you. All it is— intentional space. Yes, space. You’d be amazed at how much truth you already have stored in your mind and heart if you give a smidge of time to let it out.
Truth has legs. It will make its way to the surface if you let it.
What does this offer me?
Grounding me back to my home. Me.
Drawing on knowledge that’s already there. If we listen.
Circulating my energy, emotions around my body. Get out of my head and into my body. There is so much potential there.
Being an example for my kids that I take time, focus on and reap the benefits of being with myself. They see me doing it. We talk about it. Now, they do their version of Vitamin ME. They see the value of coming back to themselves.
Value Compass
During life pivots I always return to my Hope Compass. This means I check where my life is going based on my core values. I take the time to map how my values show up, how they feel and play out in my life. Being clear on these foundational values is game changing. I can make decisions faster, check when things feel off or when I'm on track. I know when I’m moving towards a pivot that feels right, or not.
Alarm bells go off when the values don’t align.
A strong gut tug of YES pulls me in the direction of when the values all check out.
A daily return to well-whelmed
Overwhelm is rampant. I return to finding my zone of being Well-whelmed. I love this word. It is finding your sweet spot between overwhelmed and underwhelmed. It's balance in action. We can achieve it by prioritizing what matters, in the moment. A simple check in of compass throughout the day.
Even saying to myself throughout the day, how can I get to well-whelmed, brings me to a calmer more gentle zone.
Series of Lighthouses to guide and sustain during a pivot
I’m not traveling much over the next few months. It’s dark. It’s bitterly cold here in Quebec, Canada. How will I keep my energy vibrant when there is little sun or warmth? I plot a series of lighthouses ahead over the year. These are beacons of light like: trips to other places, gatherings, meetups and events to look forward to over the year. Pre-deciding on a series of mini-adventures helps me to look beyond work (as much as I love it). I make sure to prioritize relationships and experiences as part of my pivot.
It’s not like I map the entire year. I love spontaneity. These lighthouses are like punctuation marks throughout the cold and dark hibernation months.
Live in questions
I know I don’t need to have the pivot, or life for that matter, figured out on the outset. Instead, it’s like an unfolding. Asking myself ongoing questions nudges this unfold process and keeps me coming back to my Hope Compass rather than always looking outside of me for the answers. I ask the same questions over and over. Often I strike gold with the answers that come.
"Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing." - Denis Waitley
Here are some of my favourites.
What am I avoiding?
How can this be easy?
What is draining me, what is uplifting me?
What am I thinking about that is not helping me move forward?
What were the 3 biggest wins and how can I double down on them?
What is longing for expression?
What do I want to experience?
What does this offer me?
Stop and consider how many questions you ask yourself. Do you avoid the hard one? Do you have immediate answers on some of these questions above? Or do they tug at you with feelings that need to be explored.
It is a simple practice. I often ask them before bed. I give the questions to my subconscious to work on as I sleep. Sometimes I have epic realizations and clarity when I wake.
Give it a whirl. You will be amazed at how much comes from asking questions.
Show & Tell for a gentle January
The Pivot Year - a book by one of my favourite young writers and poets Brianna Wiest. She offers daily prompts that motivate you on your pivot.
Non-alcoholic drinks - for those embarking on DRY Jan, or not drinking at all.
Austin Scholar - creating new years resolutions that you and your kids will actually achieve.
The vital ingredient of sleep to our lives - with Diary of CEO Steven Bartlett and Kristen Holmes
A year of mental Health - Chris Gilliebeau.
Let me know how this lands. Are you priming for a pivot? In the middle of one?
See you next week.
In your corner,
With love,
Hope
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Love this invitation to pivot -- or way I put it as to “re-calibrate”... needed often in my life!