So, it turns out I had no underwear!

Have you ever heard the term “Best Laid Plans”?

We all make plans for work and personal life. We also need to know that NOTHING ever goes according to plan exactly and you must be ready to pivot.

I’m NOT a pessimist by any stretch, I’m an optimist and a realist! One of the ways I stay optimistic is by realizing that things will always change and I can change with them. Let me give you some tools to help you stay optimistic and positive even when your best laid plans go awry.

Learning how to PIVOT -

Preparing

Inspiring

Versions

Of

Tomorrow

What do I mean? When you make a plan for, say a project for work, and you have step 1, 2 and 3 and so on, BUT something goes wrong and you can’t do step 2 because A, B or C happened!

If you don’t have another plan or idea of where to go when you have to detour, you can get stuck in the muck.

BUT, if you have planned ways you can PIVOT by “Preparing Inspiring Versions Of Tomorrow”, you can get upset about the original plan for a minute (scream, bang your hand on your desk etc for just a minute or two), THEN give yourself GRACE, take a deep breath and figure out how you can pivot, because you’ve already planned for having to go in a different direction. Now it’s not as hard as it could have been.

So, what about the missing underwear, you ask? Here's a funny PIVOT story for you!

We went away to our home in the mountains a bit ago. I packed a small suitcase and an extra duffel bag. My hubby packed the car with all the bags, dog stuff, and a whole bunch of food and things that we needed. When we got there he unpacked the car, handed me my small duffel with socks, shoes, toiletries and my robe, a sweatshirt and a cardigan that couldn’t fit in the suitcase. “Where is my bag,” I asked? He pointed to the duffel. Uh Oh! Turns out he thought I brought all the bags to be packed to the front room, and I thought he had seen my suitcase in the bedroom and had packed it in the car!!

Talk about having to PIVOT and make a plan B since we were planning on staying for 8 days! He offered to drive 3 hours home and back (he is so sweet, but that would have been silly).

I guess I have to go shopping! The nearest clothing store is 35 minutes away, so I trekked to the mall in the am. It isn’t as fun shopping for new clothes if you really don’t need them, and you have to be practical in your purchase!! A few hours later I came back with 3 pairs of undies, 2 long sleeved t-shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, a cami and some cozy leggings. (Luckily Macy’s was having a sale and I got it all for just $112!)

Not at all ideal, but the PIVOT made the original plan of staying up here for a week work out.

BUT - TIME FOR ANOTHER PIVOT!!!

What happened now, you ask?

Ever have your CHECK ENGINE light show up in your car? How about on mountain roads miles from anything? How about when you are planning on driving back to Long Island trying to beat out an oncoming MAJOR BLIZZARD?

Well, THAT DID HAPPEN to me! I took it to the mechanic not too far from our home up in the mountains the day we are planning on leaving. He gives me a call and says, “Hi, Mrs. Pepe, we are still trying to find out what’s wrong, and we need it for a couple of days, so let’s set up a time next week. It’s ok to drive around right now, it’s NOT LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING TO NEW YORK CITY or anything!”

I think you may know where this one is going! Time to Pivot, because YES, the plan was to go through New York City and beyond! It actually has major engine trouble and it won’t be fixed till later in the week (actually 7 more days from when we were planning on leaving!)

What was our plan C? Major calls to friends back home to take care of some stuff, calls to find someone to plow & shovel for us, calls to reschedule hair and other appointments! You really can’t make this stuff up. We are fortunate that our friends just moved up there 2 weeks before, so they took me to the store to get food and plenty of wine!!

The moral of this silly pivot story is that sometimes you have things thrown at you more than once, and you have to figure out how to work it out. You need to find the positive in a bad situation and be grateful for what you have. (Including the one pair of underwear I was wearing!)

I am grateful that I had all my work stuff, my phone charger and my toiletries and had the ability to go shopping for a few more things. I am grateful I had a home to stay in. I am grateful that my friends literally moved nearby just 2 weeks before and were able to help us get food. I am grateful that we didn’t get stuck with the engine dying on a mountain highway with a major snowstorm.

How does this relate to having to PIVOT with work?

Here's my pivoting tip: When you start planning your steps to achieve a goal, think about and imagine other scenarios and what you can do instead. Have those other steps mapped out along with your original plan. By doing this, you save time, and frustration when your in the middle of whatever project you have going on!

I hope this PIVOT in your day has helped you to start thinking of how you might need to pivot in whatever you have planned right now. And, now it’s your turn to stop and find gratitude in what you have even when it may not be what you planned. And, learn to laugh a bit at it along the way!

I’m grateful you are here to laugh along with me,