Grind and Pivot.

I get the metaphors. I really do.

What we’re doing is tough, hence we call it the grind. Everything that we’re trying to accomplish requires work. Hard work. Really hard work, with lots of it falling into the icky, yucky category. Sweat isn’t pretty. Putting your head down and plodding through it is the standard. Working against all odds is commonplace.

And then you get to a point where you decide that what you’re doing isn’t right. It’s just not the direction that you want to go. The catchphrase is pivot for that one. You plant one foot firmly in place and change your direction. The opportunity to head off in a new direction is right before you. It’s a functional term that combines the here-and-now with the future direction. It’s succinct. It’s descriptive.

Grind and Pivot.

The catchphrases for the start of 2015 among the podcasting and blogging world. You’ve got to tough it out to succeed. When you need to change direction, you swing about.

Grind and Pivot.

Pivot and Grind.

Pick the order…they’re both cropping up like weeds. I read about grinding in blog posts, getting the imagery of resistance. Gears and cogs binding, creating massive amounts of friction and heat. Then a change of direction. Swapping out one set of gears for another to head in off on a different path. The new gears work well for a while, nicely oiled, things go smoothly. Then dirt and grime get in there. Life leaves it’s little scraps, and the gears begin to bind. It’s not very long until the gears are grinding again. And you’re putting in tons more effort just to keep them moving.

Grind and Pivot.

They both resonate with me…to a point. I understand what it’s like to work for something in the dim light of the morning, the darkness of night, and the blinding sun of the day–only to have it come to nothing. I know what it’s like to work on project after project and feel like you’re getting nowhere. Then finally accept that fact and change direction, heading towards a newer, shinier goal.

But I don’t want to characterize what I’m doing as grinding anymore. I want it to have a more positive feel, a more pleasant description. Let’s face it, we’re all out here working on stuff. If we’re working on stuff we hate…we grind. But if you’re working on your passion, is it all that bad? Is it gnawing and gnarly? Are you gnashing your teeth? If you are…maybe it’s time to find something else to do. Life is too short to have to do things that you hate doing for too long. If you’ve reached that point, pick your head up, survey your situation, and move off in a different direction.

But don’t pivot. When you pivot, you keep one foot firmly planted where you were. With that pivot foot planted, you can second-guess yourself and turn back to the direction you were headed. But you made the decision to go off in a new direction…right? Then for God’s sake, do it. Embrace the new route and go for it. Leave the past in the past. Learn from it. Bring the knowledge with you, but leave the baggage behind. If you’re really committed to the direction your going…then commit to it and set off on the journey.

Images of Simba returning to Pride Rock are running through my head. Frodo setting off from the Shire are intermingled. Luke leaving Dagobah have risen up in my mind. You get the idea…a brand new start. I also realize I watch far too many movies and then use them as idea generators. But I digress…

So think about how you want 2015 and beyond to shape up. Do you want to end the year, covered in dust, head hunkered down, sweat dripping from your brow…knowing that you worked hard…and didn’t get far. Do you want the world to have the chance to grind at you, to create friction that sucks your passion out with every turn of the wheel? Do you want to come to the moment of truth when it’s time to go off in a new direction, but end up standing there, frozen, looking back at what might have been? To have regrets before you even set out on the new journey? To languish, firmly planted between two futures, with the pivot point holding you back?

I for one am going to let go of my pivot foot. I’m going to set out, confidently in a new direction, with the full knowledge that this will last for a while. When it’s time to shift and head off somewhere else, I’m going to do that. But for now, I’m heading where I’m heading. And I’m going to do it with my head held high. I’m not going to let the world grind at me. I’m not going to let things generate friction that makes life a grind. Where I need to, I’ll apply oil to keep the gears moving smoothly.

There will be times when I need to work hard. Then harder. It’s the nature of the beast…but I’m not going to let it be a grind.

How about you?

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