The Art of The Pivot

Sam Acho's framework for dealing with change came right on time

Hi, I’m Matt, and Welcome to Steady Beats: a regular column on fitness, books, and finding meaning at mid-life.

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Sometimes, the right person comes along at just the right time.

This is true of books, also.

So, when I was melted into the couch last weekend, watching college football, and an ESPN segment with Sam Acho came on, I paid attention.

I wasn’t paying much attention to the segment itself, but over Sam’s shoulder in his home Zoom setup were two books Sam wrote. One, called “Let The World See You: How To Be Real In A World Full of Flakes” popped out at me in 3D.

When a book asserts itself into my attention like that, I buy it—and I’m rarely disappointed, this time included.”

I’m rarely disappointed when a book presents itself to me, and this one was no exception. In particular, Sam’s chapter called “The Art of the Pivot” arrived right on time:

Life is about growth. Life is about transition. But one of the most difficult things in life is learning how to transition well.

Sam Acho was a defensive end and linebacker at the University of Texas, and then later for several teams in the NFL. In 2013, Sam broke his leg and was out for the season. It was time for a pivot, one he didn’t want to make.

I can relate.

Maybe you can, also. Maybe you’re in a pivot now. If not, you might be approaching one. That’s the thing. We don’t always get to pick the time for the pivot.

In the book, Sam shares his four steps for how he makes a pivot, a framework I’m finding useful as I also struggle to figure out What’s Next. Here are those four steps, as well as what I’m thinking about my pivot.

1. Find your limitation and work around it

In 2013, I was out for the season with a broken leg. I knew I would be limited as far as movement went because I would be in a cast. I also knew I would have to start rehab soon, from 8: 00 a.m. to noon every weekday. This meant my afternoons were available. I didn’t want to be alone, so I decided to share my experience with other people who were going through pain as I was.

My limitations, as I look at life after Write of Passage? Let’s keep it to several.

1. I’m 50 years old (which can also be an asset).

2. I don’t live in the place I want to live, and can’t move the fam until next May.

3. I don’t have a crystal clear sense of what I want to do next.

So, how to use my age as an asset? I’m really interested in how middle-aged people can excel in fitness, in self-expression, in reinvention. I should seek opportunities in those areas.

There are work-arounds for geography. Remote work being the most obvious, but also searching and networking in our desired target area (mid Michigan).

It’s ok to have some ambiguity about what’s next, to lean into that, be open about it, and explore potential paths out in the wide open. Being laser-focused on what you want for your next role is an asset, yes. But so is being open to what might surprise you.

2. Push yourself, and don’t be afraid to ask

I was testing the waters and touching doorknobs to see if there was anything else I liked to do. There was. And thus I gained a little more information about who I was when that transition from player to something else came.

Writing openly about this search is a push. I’d love to say I have a clear target—but I’m not there yet.

Writing about it will help me get to clarity. Hiding will not.

There will need to be more pushing, however. Cold emails to decision makers, asking others for intros, that sort of thing.

We shouldn’t be afraid to ask, but also, the saying “It never hurts to ask” is a terrible lie. Asking poorly can convey ignorance, laziness, greed, or self-centeredness.

It never hurts to ask well. Asking poorly often does hurt.

3. Serve others

Serve others. Learning what you love doesn’t always have to be about you. One place to start is serving others. A marketing professor in college taught a concept that has stuck with me: find a need and fill it. To properly pivot, you have to be aware of other people’s needs.

I have one more opportunity to serve inside Write of Passage. And it’s going to be a big one. The cohort will be our largest ever. I’ll be in the co-pilot seat for Live Sessions, will host the session Watch Parties that follow the day after Live Sessions, and will lead The Crew, our team of mentors and editors, on this last ride.

4. Don’t forget to mourn

“Don’t forget to mourn. Lastly, whenever you go through a transition, you have to be okay with the mourning process. Losing something is hard.”

I have mourned the loss of Write of Passage. Remote work is wonderful, but sometimes isolating, and when your company is going out of business, you can feel adrift, suffocating in your own galaxy, even inside familiar walls.

Write of Passage has meant more and done more for me than I could ever ask. I could keep doing this for a long time. But I will not.

That has been processed.

There’s another piece I will struggle with for a long time. I have people change their lives over and over, using the course as a fulcrum to launch themselves into new realities. Write of Passage helps facilitate breakthroughs, career pivots, creates friendships, and gives space so people find the courage and tools to say what they need to say.

It almost feels wrong to shut that down.

You might find that ridiculous, and that’s ok. But I can’t help thinking about who won’t have their lives changed now in Cohort 14, or Cohort 32.

I may never quite make peace with that.

And maybe I shouldn’t.

Maybe that’s the new seed that’s trying to spring up. To keep helping people help themselves, to realize they can transform their lives, either their entire world or some small but important corner of it.

Maybe the real secret of The Art of the Pivot is this: let its energy take you where it’s meant to go.

Don’t fight or try to control the momentum. Use it to propel to you to What’s Next.

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Thank you for reading Steady Beats #253