The Wisdom Of The Pivot

There is a massive difference between 'giving up' and 'changing direction.' Sometimes we get so attached to a specific version of our future that we miss the better opportunities standing right next to us. We think that if we don't get *that* job or *that* relationship, everything is over. But that kind of rigid thinking is what leads to hopelessness. Real hope is flexible. It understands that the goal is to be happy and fulfilled, but the 'how' can change. If the door is locked, stop banging your head against it and look for a window.

I’ve had moments where my entire identity was tied to a project that ultimately failed. At the time, it felt like the end of the world. I thought I had wasted years of my life. But looking back, that failure was the best thing that ever happened to me. It forced me to develop new skills and redirected me toward a path that actually suited me better. The 'failure' wasn't a dead end; it was a course correction. When you stop seeing setbacks as final judgments on your worth, you free yourself to be hopeful again.

In the startup world, they talk about 'pivoting' as a necessity for survival. Your life is no different. You have to be able to look at the data of your life and say, 'This isn't working, let's try something else.' That isn't a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of high-level intelligence. It shows that you are more committed to your growth than you are to your ego. Hope is the confidence that you will find a way, even if it isn't the first way you tried. It is the belief that no experience is ever truly wasted.

Give yourself permission to start over. It doesn't matter if you’re twenty-five or sixty-five. The 'sunk cost fallacy' is a trap—just because you spent time on something doesn't mean you have to keep spending it. Cut your losses, take the lessons, and move on to something that actually gives you energy. Hope lives in the new beginning. It’s the excitement of a blank page. You are the author of this story, and you can change the plot whenever you want. The next chapter could be the best one yet.