Persist. Pivot. Or Concede. These were a few terms tossed about in a recent video excerpt I watched with Matthew McConaughey, expanding upon how he utilizes ‘greenlights’ in his life, and the art of perfectly timing your assessment of whether a situation is, in fact, inevitable.
I’ve often been told I’m far too ‘black and white’ when it comes to most viewpoints. It’s this or it’s that, no in between. And it’s true. There is rarely a gray area to be had, at least not one that presents a constructive argument, to me. There’s always a choice. Best commit to it. Well, that takes into account the ‘persist’ and ‘concede’ avenues — it’s the ‘pivot’ that presents a bit of a problem.
{*inserts reverential nod to classic Friends episode here.}
I’ve had what seems like countless conversations of late with everyone from friends and family to coworkers and social media acquaintances, many touching on exactly this point, in one form or another. There are dreams, and then there is reality. There are aspirations, and then there is the rationality that seeps in… the ‘yes, that would be nice, but…’ qualifier that those who seek to offer sage advice tend to revert to when they realize you are, in fact, quite serious about your lofty pursuits.
Honestly, I would probably do the same.
There is a delicate balance between being proactive and being ‘too’ ambitious, and far be it from me to pretend to be an authority on such a practice. Despite over 20 years of dance, my grace under pressure is still very much a work in progress. Surge forward, backpedal a bit, switch gears, commence stumbling down new avenue of opportunity… and repeat.
That said, I can fairly confidently say that is not what anyone wants to hear. Listen to any public figure you admire talk about the early days of pursuing their dream life, and rarely will you hear them speak of a ‘plan B.’ No, it was full speed ahead, roadblocks be damned, until something clicked. Or didn’t. But the urgency, the persistence, that was the key. The kiss of death is the ‘this is fine, for now’ mentality that I see so many settle into. Time, as we’ve seen all too often, is both fast and fleeting. And no one ever got ahead by standing still.
While I could continue to toss metaphors against the wall, I think you get the point.
Pivoting is more of an in-the-moment gut check that makes you feel, KNOW, that a certain path is where you’re meant to be standing. From there, it’s one step in front of the other on the tightrope. No net.