The Art of Pivoting: When to Stick and When to Shift

Hey y'all! I hope you're having a good week.

Today's topic is something Lauren and I have been talking about a lot lately.

Pivoting.

Now, I don't know what you think of when you think of pivoting, but for me...

It's always the Friends scene with the couch... (I have never actually even seen Friends, but I still know of this scene).

BUT THEN I think about leaving something behind, admitting "failure" or "giving up".

Pivoting is something that's really hard for me.

I like change, but I also can be a really sentimental person and change can be scary for me.

I am also quite prone to the sunken cost fallacy. (Anyone else?) The more effort and time I put into something, the harder it can be to change it, give it up, or in the proper context of today's email - pivot.

I get used to the way something is and I become hesitant to change it.

Maybe the effort is too much? Or maybe I find myself leaning into the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.

Really, it's human nature to want to stick to our comfort zone and protect ourselves. But sometimes, we don't have a choice but to pivot.

Sometimes it's pivot or die. (A little dramatic, I know).

But seriously, sometimes if we don't break out of the box we have settled into, we will get stuck. Whether that box is a mindset, a limiting belief, a way of doing things, or anything else that holds us back.

Business (especially online) is one area where you have to pivot often. You have to stack good intuitive decisions on top of one another again and again in order to have success and if you don't pivot... Well, you get left behind.

There are a lot of changes to be made at Create and Go in the coming weeks and a lot of seeds that were planted a while ago that are starting to reach their point of sprouting and I'm nervous and excited.

This pivot will lead to doing totally new things that we've never done at Create and Go.

It's nerve-wracking to think about change, especially with something as special to me as Create and Go.

But it's time.

The course is updated, our systems are refined, Lauren and I have started to find more of a groove together, and now it's time for some changes and to get excited about NEW things.

But what about when it gets to feel like a bit too much?

It got me thinking about how we pivot successfully. How anyone pivots successfully.

So, I wanted to break down how we're facing the pivot of a website rebrand and a new evolution of the business and some of the things I think make a successful pivot.

1. Embrace the Discomfort

When you pivot, there will always be discomfort. It’s inevitable. What helps me get through it is knowing that discomfort is often a sign of growth.

If it feels easy, you might not be pushing yourself enough.

So, when that uncomfortable feeling starts creeping in, take a deep breath and remind yourself—it’s part of the process.

Growth lives just outside your comfort zone.

In order to get something different than what you've been getting, you have to do something different than what you've been doing. This requires you to go through a trial of discomfort from a lack of familiarity. Our brain craves and resorts back to what is comfortable.

2. Have a Clear Vision for Where You’re Headed

We didn’t wake up one morning and decide to make major changes at Create and Go. This is something we’ve been building towards for a while.

This plan doesn't have to be perfect, but you want to have a vision that you can feel connected to.

We know that by updating our branding and evolving the business, we’re setting ourselves up for long-term success. So, before you make any pivot, take a step back and visualize where you want to go.

At least know WHY you want to pivot.

If you don’t have a destination in mind, the pivot will feel difficult.

Without a vision for what could be, you will keep looking back at what you left behind, instead of looking forward at what you're moving towards.

Which leads to number 3.

3. Be Willing to Let Go

This is the hardest part for me. But sometimes, you have to release the old to make room for the new.

It doesn’t mean you’re abandoning what you’ve built. It means you’re building on top of it. It’s not always about completely starting over—it’s about evolving.

Letting go of what no longer serves you is essential to moving forward.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a fucking die-hard Marie Kondo fan.

Yes, Me. A southern, corn-fed, tech nerd, guys guy. I will die for Marie Kondo. That precious tiny Asian woman and her tidying philosophy... it's incredible.

Her method of letting go and "tidying up" your space applies beautifully to life and business. Through her work, I have realized the importance of letting go of things that don't spark joy and making more room for the parts of work that give me energy and excitement.

Sometimes, we just have TOO MANY things and we need to tidy up, let go, and move forward. Not just in business, but our life too.

If you haven't read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up yet, give it a read. Another GREAT book on letting go is well, Letting Go by David Hawkins.

4. Take Small, Steady Steps.

There is a reason Atomic Habits is one of the best-selling books of all time.

It's not because it can teach you everything you need to know about behavior chance (although it can).

It's that it reminds you that change doesn't happen all at once, but rather it operates as more of a compounding effect.

Starting small IS starting.

You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Make one change at a time, get feedback, see how it feels, and adjust. It’s much less overwhelming when you break things down into smaller, manageable steps.

So that’s where we’re at, y’all.

We’re excited to share more about our upcoming rebrand and the new things we’ve been working on soon but I just wanted to share a little bit about what's on our mind as we shift.

In the meantime, I encourage you to think about areas in your life where a pivot might be necessary.

Whether it’s in your business, your creative projects, or even your mindset—where might you need to make a shift? And what’s holding you back from doing it?

Remember, pivots can be scary, but they’re often exactly what you need to end up exactly where you want to go.

Quote of the Week

From world-renowned investor Ray Dalio:

"If you don't look back on yourself and think, 'Wow how stupid I was a year ago,' then you must not have learned much in the last year."

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