I host a live storytelling event where women come together to share their experiences, support one another, and learn from each other. Each event has a theme, and for my next one, I chose Pivot: Life Happens While We’re Busy Making Plans. Preparing for this event made me reflect on what it truly means to pivot in life.

We often associate pivoting with the big moments: the loss of a job we depended on, the end of a relationship we never saw coming, the passing of someone who was our anchor. These moments shake us, force us to reevaluate, and push us in new directions we might not have chosen otherwise. But what about the smaller pivots? The quiet pivots that come not with a crisis but with a whisper, an unexpected opportunity, or a flicker of curiosity.

How often do we allow ourselves to lean into discomfort, to be a little less rigid with our plans, to leave space for what might come up? And what if, when those moments arrive, instead of resisting, we simply go for it?

I think back to times in my own life when I thought I had everything mapped out, only to find myself heading in an entirely different direction. Sometimes those changes felt forced on me, like life suddenly took a sharp left turn. Other times, the choice to pivot was more subtle, a new idea, a small risk, or saying yes to something outside my comfort zone. And every time, whether the pivot was big or small, it led to growth, new experiences, and possibilities I never would have found otherwise.

I used to see pivoting as uncertainty and doubt, as if changing course meant stepping into the unknown without a clear plan. At times, it felt like something happening to me rather than something I could choose for myself. But now, I see it as a sign of adaptability, of being open to the unknown. Life doesn’t hand us a roadmap. It unfolds in ways we can’t always predict, and our ability to adjust, to shift when needed, is what keeps us moving forward.

We’ve all had those moments where we resisted change, where we clung to what felt safe because it was familiar. Looking back, how many of those detours turned out to be exactly what we needed? Sometimes, what we see as an obstacle is actually an invitation to pivot, to reimagine, to grow, to move toward something even better than we originally planned.

Pivoting doesn’t always mean making a drastic change. Sometimes, it’s as simple as shifting our perspective, trying something new, or being willing to rewrite our story as we go. The best things in life often come from the moments we never planned for, the paths we never thought we’d take.

So maybe the next time life nudges you, whether with a shove or a whisper, you listen. You loosen your grip on the plan you had and consider the one life is offering you instead. Who knows where it might lead?