Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life by Adam Markel — Book Summary

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Markel first began writing what later became Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life for his children. He wanted to give them a guiding light to follow through their own challenging times. Fortunately, Markel’s daughter encouraged him to share his insights on pivoting with the world. Within the pages of Pivot, Markel carefully lays out actionable steps that carry the reader from wherever they find themselves (in need of a major life pivot) to where they want to be. From how to find clarity, to defining your vision for your life, to gaining momentum, and finally making a plan and taking action—Markel’s Pivot teaches you how to embrace the process of transition and come out ahead better than ever.

3 STEPS TO PIVOTING: CLARITY, MOMENTUM, PLAN & ACTION

All successful pivots require clarity, momentum, and a clear plan for action. Step 1 is clarity because without clarity you’re not going to be able to see where you’re going. Take the time to slow down, clear away whatever is blocking your view, and create a clear image of your ultimate vision for your life. Step 2 is to get some momentum behind you. The key is to not only build momentum but to keep it going during the difficult times. Once you have clarity and momentum you’re ready for Step 3 which is plan and action. Your plan will help align your resources with your goals and it will also guide your actions as you progress through your pivot to reach your ultimate dream.

STEP NUMBER 1: CLARITY

Think of your pivot like a road trip. You get in the car, start driving, and notice that your windshield is dirty—really dirty. You’re forced to slow down and stop because you can’t see. You need to regain your vision. How? In the metaphorical road trip, clearing your windshield means reexamining and changing your ingrained thoughts and behaviors. Why? Because when you do this you create an intentional vision for how you want your life to be. When you create a vision for your life you create clarity, and when you create clarity, it leads to confidence. There are 6 steps to gaining clarity: Unbelieving; Letting Go; Face Your Fears; Identity and Purpose; Envision; Decide.

UNBELIEVING

Many lessons we think are absolutely true—simply aren’t. Our actions are a product of our beliefs. Unlearning bad habits first requires becoming aware of the thought processes that support them in the first place. Unlearning bad habits and limiting beliefs is the key.

“You can have anything you want if you can give up the belief that you can’t have it.” —Dr. Robert Anthony

LETTING GO

Attachments to thoughts of the past and future hold us back. Letting go of these attachments while maintaining the purpose and drive to succeed is the key. One of the most powerful forms of letting go is forgiveness. Forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others. Remember, the past is never wasted. In fact, pivoting is all about making sure that the past is leveraged so that the future isn’t wasted! We carry around shame and guilt from different times in our lives and that stuff is heavy. Put it all down! The paradox is we can’t get clarity until we let go of our attachment to it. Have faith.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

FACE YOUR FEARS

In the road trip of your pivot, fear is going to be in the car, but at no point should fear be allowed to drive or navigate. No matter how powerful fear may seem, it’s only a perception, that’s all it is, a feeling. Fear is rooted in judgment (of self and others). You don’t need to be the fearless hero of your story. Remember, bravery isn’t some feeling that allows you to take action, it’s the feeling that comes after you’ve taken action. The key is to stop waiting to feel brave—there is no pivot that will be fear-free.

“If you can change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” —Wayne Dyer

IDENTITY & PURPOSE

Life teaches you that the formula for success is to DO the right activities, so you can HAVE the right accolades, to BE the person you want to be. The pieces are correct, but the formula is all wrong. The equation for success is BE ? DO ? HAVE and for the equation to actually work you need to first focus on whom you want to become. To do this, you must uncover your true identity, which is congruent with your authentic self. And the trick is, maybe you did identify your authentic self in the past—but our identities and values change over time! The key is to uncover the limitations around your identity and surrender to your new true self.

“Become what you want, even if it feels like you’re pretending. Just be whom you want to be, and the world will adjust.” —Tim Jones

ENVISION

What is your vision of your place in the world? Paint a clear vision for your life in the future. Your vision is your WHY, your big reason that will compel you through everything. Vision is the #1 skill in life and business. Remember: Let go of how, for now; Identity what you don’t want; Rediscover your deepest values; Access creativity by engaging your beginner’s mind (explore, learn, and discover).

“The bigger the ‘why,’ the easier the ‘how.’” —Jim Rohn

DECIDE (BIG “D” DECISIONS)

There are people who are interested in, and there are those who are committed. The difference is, when you’re interested, you’ll quit once it gets hard, but when you’re committed, you’ll do whatever it takes. Therefore, make a decision and a commitment. Once you decide to change your internal programming and remake your life, what your life “prints out” will change.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

STEP NUMBER 2: MOMENTUM

The true power of momentum can be seen in the physics of dominoes. One tiny domino can knock over another domino one and a half times its size. And that same principal applies to the next domino. And the next. By the twenty-ninth domino there is enough momentum built up to knock over the Empire State Building. Let that visual inspire you when you need to remember the power of one small action plus momentum. There are 5 principles of momentum: Baby Steps; Rituals; Resilience; Growth; Growth Exchange.

BABY STEPS

Start with baby steps and you will be able to do anything. But we don’t like taking baby steps because we are afraid to make mistakes. If you play the game of life in order to make as few mistakes as possible—you are limiting yourself. You have to make a lot of mistakes in order to succeed at anything. Safety shouldn’t be your life goal.

Challenge the status quo and break the programming to “play it safe.” Let your ambition be a challenge to mediocrity. And remember, you don’t have to burn your ships to be successful. A tiny change—a few degrees over time—will change the trajectory of your life and make a lasting difference. Pivoting in baby steps is good because it’s less risky, less scary, cheaper, and you’ll actually make fewer mistakes.

RITUALS

Think of rituals as your “master habits.” You want to identify, cultivate, and strengthen the habits in your life that will support and help nurture the health, wealth, and happiness you’re looking to create through your pivot. This requires not just outside the box thinking but outside the box acting.

To maintain these new habits and rituals you’re going to need a support system of pivot people, stakeholders, mentors, and peers. Your pivot people are the answer to the question, “Where are you going and who is going to go with you?” because nobody pivots alone. Your stakeholders are the people most affected by your decision to pivot. Usually these would include your spouse, your parents, and your kids. Your mentors are the people who you get guidance from. This can include books, podcasts, family members, friends, and professional coaches. You’ll be surprised to find that when you ask for mentorship, you will find that people will say “Yes.” Your peers are the people who are in the same or similar situation that you’re currently in. They want similar results, they are committed to their own pivot, they have varying levels of experience, you can create plans together—in short—this is your mastermind group. They will hold you accountable.

 “Environment is stronger than willpower.” —Yogananda

RESILIENCE

Think of resilience as the yeast that helps your pivot rise—without it you wouldn’t be able to succeed. There is a lot of pressure in every role of your life, and you must have resilience to succeed. There are 3 keys to resilience. First, change your story. Reframe failures and hardships to create meaning. Second, find the lesson in any setback you experience. Learn the lesson from the struggle and own the results. Third, move your body and create rituals of recovery and self-care. The most resilient people make resilience a habit.

“I’ve failed over and over again, and that’s why I succeed.” —Michael Jordan

GROWTH

Habits are well-traveled neural pathways in our brain. The greatest growth we can make in our lifetimes is taking advantage of our inherent neuroplasticity and rewiring our brains through improving our habits. We can do this by: Taking in new information, creating new thoughts, and developing new skills; Repeating and practicing these new habits over and over again; removing old habits and reconditioning those old neuropathways until they aren’t dominant anymore.

GROWTH EXCHANGE

There are 3 kinds of exchange in the growth equation: time, money, and emotion. Each one is an investment of self. You give your time, money (resources), and emotion (invest in R & D), and you gain knowledge, insight, freedom, vision, and peace of mind.

Education is a ritual, so make it a new ritual of importance in your life. This will require that you admit there are some things you don’t know—and that is a great thing! With that attitude in mind, decide how much of each resource you can afford, and plan for that.

We cannot create more time, but we can learn to use our hours and minutes more wisely. Money is a growth multiplier as it allows you to access more opportunities. Expanding yourself emotionally is at the heart of all pivots. Sharing yourself more deeply and honestly with people, letting go of your fears and shames, and embracing the essence of who you really are is all a part of investing yourself emotionally in the process of your pivot.

STEP NUMBER 3: PLAN & ACTION

Healthy habits and continuous learning are essential to personal growth. Everything is either growing or it’s dying. The Japanese word kaizen symbolizes the concept of continuous improvement and personal growth. And that’s what the plan and action step boils down to: constant and never-ending self-improvement. Your plan and action will support your vision for your life and your ultimate goals.

For every obstacle you encounter, build a new vision of success. Remember the lifeboat exercise Markel described? The people with the clearest vision for their lives were almost always the ones who were saved. And it wasn’t about eloquence or effort—it was about purpose. That is a profound example of clarity at work. It’s an example of the power of vision. So, get clear on your vision. Write it down. Read it aloud. You are telling yourself a story—the story of your vision—and that story must be strong enough to fuel you through the difficult times of doubt and struggle that will come your way. Pivoting is a process, not a plan, so embrace the journey of self-betterment.

“Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?” —Brendon Burchard

21-DAY PIVOT PLAN

Creating a morning ritual:

The goal of a solid, healthy, energizing morning ritual is to start your day by getting into action and then staying in action—and doing this in a sustainable way.

Greet the Day:

 Choose a consistent time each day to wake up. When you open your eyes, take your first conscious breath. Use this time to raise your consciousness and commit to improving 1% from where you were yesterday.

Create a Physical Space:

Make a space where you can start each day with intention. Make this space your own, no matter how small. Bring the tools you’ll need to work on your pivot, such as your journal, a favorite pen, and this workbook. Choose a consistent amount of time to focus on your pivot, at least thirty minutes, and treat this time as if it is sacred—because it is.

Habit of Gratitude:

Express gratitude for your life, for everything you’re able to feel grateful for each day. Some days will be harder than others, but every day that you wake up and are alive, there is something to be grateful for. Remember, what you appreciate, appreciates in value.

Say Something:

Verbalize a declaration of positive intent for your day. Start your day by saying, “I love my life.” Ask yourself, “How do I want to experience myself being today?” and then answer yourself!