The Power of Pivoting

In this episode, deepen your understanding of the importance of reflection. Reflection involves looking back, noticing the big picture, noticing your goals, noticing where your energy is going, noticing how you're doing. Once you notice those things, you have the power to pivot and make adjustments. 

• Main points: 
  • In order to give your important goals the time, energy, and resources needed, it’s critical to create what I call a protocol, which is a budget for your energy 
  • Creating plan in advance for how you want to spend my energy can transform your ability to create the results you seek
  • But equally important is making time to look back and reflect on how your protocol is working for you (and making adjustments as needed)

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Chapters

• 0:05 The Power of Reflection and Pivoting
• 6:06 Pivoting and Creating an Energy Budget
• 14:06 Investing Energy and Reviewing Goals

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome to the Live a Vibrant Life podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:08

I'm Life Coach Kelly Tibbets, and each week I'll be here to encourage and equip you with the tools you need to grow in self-awareness so that you can invest your best energy in your dreams and your purpose. I believe self-awareness changes everything. Let's get started.

Speaker 1: 0:26

Hey everyone, I'm so excited to be here with you today. I'm going to be sharing with you some of the ideas this fall that we're talking about in the coaching circle. We have a series for the fall where we decide and do what's important to you. So, if you haven't taken a few moments lately, put your hand on your heart, close your eyes, take one of those deep, cleansing breaths, you know, allow your nervous system to get regulated and just ask yourself, and allow yourself the time to listen what is important to you? Are you giving that important goal the time and the energy and the resources that we need? And so one of the ways we do that is we create what's called the protocol, which is a budget for our energy. I know that, if you're like most humans, having a budget doesn't feel like a lot of fun, right, it can feel very limiting because we have a thought oh, this budget's going to limit me, but I have truly found, especially in the last 10 years since I learned this tool, that creating in advance a plan for how I want to spend my energy can transform my ability to create results, if I just allow my human brain to decide on a daily basis what I'm going to think and what I'm going to feel, and what I'll do and what I won't do. Aligned, energized, enthusiastic soul right, that's who we want to be. We want to live a vibrant life. So the practice that we're going to talk about today, the little, small steps, are around the idea of reflecting, of looking back and noticing why we did or didn't honor the plans that we created. And so if you haven't done so in a little while, it might be one of the best gifts you can give yourself is to create a plan for the week ahead from a place of love, if possible using an energy budget, and again join our community if you want to learn more about that.

Speaker 1: 2:06

But if you've created a budget for your time and your energy, for the resources that you have, and you've followed it for a week or two, you'll start to notice there's no way to do it in an ideal manner, right, like we have what we desire, that ideal week and then we have the reality of the life that we're living, the responsibilities that we have in our life, the relationships that we highly value. And so if you have that information a week, a, two, maybe three weeks, a month's worth of information, of plans that you've made, the things that you decided in advance to say yes and no to, and then the reality of what happened now you have the ability to reflect, and we offer in the coaching circle that reflection can take place often right, it can take place at the end of the week, end of the month, end of the quarter. But the goal in our time of reflection is to notice and I know I use this word all the time but noticing what you're thinking, feeling, what you're saying yes to, what you're not saying yes to, is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. So reflection is needed because almost every day, if not every week, but almost every day, you're going to need to pivot. You're going to have a plan and then life's going to happen and you're going to need to pivot.

Speaker 1: 3:16

So when I first offered the Sticky Note system as one of the tools in my coaching program. I had used it in my own work as an executive pastor, because I had been working with a leader and a podcaster that I looked up to who had shown this idea of creating a plan of what you're going to do with your time and your energy, and I had always had to do lists. Like many of you, I like to cross off a couple, so I'd put a couple of things I already did and then have the list for the day, and it would just be a brain dump, with no thought whatsoever to what kind of energy was needed for the different tasks, and I'd write it on whatever scrap of paper I had and I'd lose it. Maybe you understand, maybe you've done that before too, and so the sticky note system, as this person first shared it with me, looked very different than the version that I've created, and one of the most important things that I noticed from developing this three years ago and then using it in my own life and helping other people that I've coached with it is the fact that life requires our ability to notice when it's time to pivot, and so pivoting is the fact that you might have a plan, but if you have enough white space, if you've allowed yourself the free time, the recovery that you need, you'll have the ability to change the plan without losing the time and energy that is intended for things that are important but not urgent. So what do I mean by that?

Speaker 1: 4:38

Many of the goals that we hold in our heart, the dreams that we have, are so important the world needs that. They need your gift, but there's no urgency, there's no one next to you saying don't forget your dream, don't forget to do the important things, and I even think about it in relationships. Right, I'm married. I love my husband very much. We've been together for 30 years this December married for, I think, 29 years at this point, and he's so important. But there's no urgency, right? He's not getting up every day saying pay attention to me the way a newborn baby might right, when you have a newborn baby, very, very urgent. And so this important relationship requires me to be intentional, and so, over and over again in life, you're going to notice things that are important to you and you'll make a plan. That's a really important thing to do Make a plan for what you want to do with your time and your energy and your resources, and the plan will probably need you to pivot, and so that's what we're going to talk about today.

Speaker 1: 5:33

What does it look like to pivot? So when I think of pivot, I think of basketball, because I was a teenager in the 80s growing up in Boston, loved at the Boston Celtics. I can still name the big five from 87, 88, kevin McHale, Larry Bird, robert Parrish, dj, danny Ainge. I loved basketball then, right, and I got to be a cheerleader in college and cheered for college basketball. So love basketball and love the idea of pivoting, using that visual of a basketball player whose foot is in one place and then he can move the other foot to kind of move.

Speaker 1: 6:06

And that's what we want when we create a protocol which is a budget for our energy. We don't want to be recreating the whole thing every week. We want to begin to notice the nuance of where do we want to keep some of the same ideas, some of the same goals, and where do we need to say maybe a no for this season or defer until a different day, or maybe sometimes we just have to delegate it. We have to let someone else who might not be able to do it as well as we can but has the time, the energy and the resources to do so, take that piece over. So I think about my children are getting a little bit older and they're all young adults living on their own, and so, as the holidays come, I'm going to need to be able to pivot, because when they were younger, every holiday took place on the day of the calendar because we all lived in the same home, but now they live across the country. There's no way for every single holiday to take place in my home on the day, thanksgiving, christmas, they're going to have other relatives they need to go visit, and so I'm going to need to pivot. I'm going to need to decide what's important. It's time with my children and with the people they love. The date is less important, the food is less important. Sometimes I'm going to have to say yes to one person and no to another. I'm going to need to learn how to pivot, and so to pivot well, we want to be able to use the part of us that was created to look back and learn as an Enneagram coach.

Speaker 1: 7:23

One of the pieces that the Enneagram gives us is the information that is humans. We have the ability to both be present and recognize what needs to be done today, in the present. We have the ability to dream about things that don't exist yet and just go into the future, and we have the ability to look back and to learn from history, from things that we've done in the past, and all three are necessary. So when we take the time to create an energy budget, we're going into the future and we're dreaming about things that don't currently occur and we think what would we like, what's important, and we start to guard time and guard energy and guard resources so that that important goal can happen. Then we make a plan from a place of love, of what we want to do each day with our present energy and then today we want to say what would it look like, at least once a month, maybe once a week, to notice what could have been different. What did we say yes to that? Maybe should have been a no? Where did we become a little over our limits? Emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually? How do we need to pivot, going forward to stay in that enthusiastic, aligned, vibrant health?

Speaker 1: 8:33

So if you wanted to start today, I would start with a calendar for, you know, the next quarter, the next three months, what are some really important goals, making those deadlines? So when my children were younger, you know, we might look at the fall schedule together and say, okay, here are all the things that need to happen in September, october, november, december, and we would put them on the calendar right away so that we could guard that time, and then we would look each week at what were some of the things we needed to do. You know, a pivot that most people have to make is you might want to ideally get up every Saturday morning in grocery shop, but the reality is sometimes things happen and they can only take place late Friday night, early Saturday, and so you need to pivot. Once you have a plan in place, ideally you're gifting yourself with 30 minutes every week to plan the week ahead and, if possible, the month and the quarter ahead. The further we can keep our you know, mind's eye into the future, we're going to be able to say the healthier yeses and noses that we need to say. And then, in addition to creating plans, if you can gift yourself again, this seems like a lot of time, doesn't it?

Speaker 1: 9:35

Emotional, mental, physical, spiritual energy requires us to give the time in advance to both make the plans and to reflect on what went well. What would we do the same. What would we do differently? So if you would like to try this small practice step this week, look at the last quarter of your life, the last three months. Did you notice anything? Were the things that were important to you. Did they get the time and energy that allowed you to move forward in creating that goal? One of the most important things we try to talk about in the coaching circle is taking the time to notice what's important. It's so easy to get caught up in the urgency of life and not take the time to notice what's important. So a starting place might be how are you doing emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually If you're in a season where, physically you're not at 100%?

Speaker 1: 10:30

You've had surgery, you are fighting a major illness. This isn't resting, it is work to heal your body. And I'm saying this from experience. As you know, I got COVID twice last year and I ended up with this. You know, strange infection, eczema type thing on my hands and it was such a dance. It was like three steps forward and then two steps back, and then a step forward and then four steps back, and I went to many doctors and tried all kinds of things, from nutrition to medicine, and I had to keep reminding myself that my job was to heal. And if I had a night where my hands hurt and I didn't sleep well, it wasn't kind and loving for me to push myself past my limits the next day. But maybe you're feeling that emotionally. I know.

Speaker 1: 11:13

When my children went off to college and life changed from a season where I was a mom with small children at home to a season where I was a mom with adult children living their lives Emotionally, I needed a lot of support. That's when I found coaching. I joined the Life Coach School and went for 13 months to learn how to manage my mind, and since that time I've worked with many different coaches and I needed that work in order to stay mentally and emotionally and spiritually healthy. So maybe that is what you're gonna notice in your reflection. This last season required a lot of energy and I may have actually used more energy than I had, and now I'm at a place where I'm a little exhausted and depleted and by reflecting on that, you're going to be able to make a plan for this month, for this week, for this day where you can be kind to yourself and say what do I need from a place of love, not from a place of judgment, but from a place of love.

Speaker 1: 12:03

And it's so easy for us to judge ourselves on whether we're keeping our home the way we want it to, whether we're making enough money, whether we're spending the time with different people who have expectations of us, and that, at the core, is why I want to invite you to our coaching circle. I wanna hold space for you every single week, for you to notice what's important to you, to notice how you're doing. Are you living in that aligned, vibrant, enthusiastic energy, or have you gone past your limits and now you're finding yourself mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually depleted? We can help you create the small practice steps that will move you back in the direction you want to go. And then, most importantly, I want you to remember your dream and I want you to give it your best energy. I know that the world needs the gift that lives inside of you. So, finally, after you've taken the time and I hope you've done it in a way that you really enjoy I like to go to Barnes Noble and get a hot chocolate. That's something I think is fun. I have another little bakery in town and I really like their gluten-free cookie and their iced tea, but I also like just sitting outside in the sun.

Speaker 1: 13:05

Find where you enjoy being and use this time to reflect as a way to also enjoy your one precious life, looking back, noticing the big picture, noticing your goals, noticing where your energy is going, noticing how you're doing. Are you having enough white space in your life, enough time to rest, enough time with the relationships that fill you up? You are important. That's the most important thing. For you to truly believe You're 100% loved, 100% valuable. The world needs the gifts you are bringing to the world, and maybe in the past it looked like one version. I understand.

Speaker 1: 13:45

I've been a teacher and a pastor. There were different ways that I used my gifts, and now I'm in a new season where podcasting is one of the things I get to do. We're connecting with people in a coaching circle is one of the things I get to do. Learning how to pivot well is key to all of us living a vibrant life. So take the time that you need to notice what's important.

Speaker 1: 14:06

Decide to invest your best energy in creating a plan that serves you and your goals, and then gift yourself the right time, the right energy match to take the small practice steps that move you forward. And the new skill we're adding on is gift yourself time weekly, monthly, quarterly, to review what happened with the plans that you created and see where you need to pivot. Not from a place of judgment, just from a place of curiosity. And if you'd like a community to help you do these little, small practice steps, join us. Go to kellytipitzcom. You can connect with me on Facebook or Instagram. I would love to have you join our community and be able to find the time and energy match to create those important results. I look forward to connecting soon. Thank you for joining the Live a Vibrant Life podcast. I hope our time together encourages and equips you to move forward in your vibrant life. To learn more, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook or visit my website, kellytipitzcom. Thank you.