The Power of Reconsidering, Redirecting, and Choosing a New Path
Many of us grow up believing that success follows a fairly predictable path.
Set a goal.
Make a plan.
Work hard.
Stay committed.
Keep moving forward.
There is value in persistence, and there are moments in life when staying the course is exactly the right decision.
But there are also moments when the most important thing we can do is reconsider.
New information becomes available.
Our circumstances evolve.
We learn something new.
When people talk about pivots, they often describe them as detours. A departure from the original plan. A sign that something did not work out the way it was supposed to.
What if a pivot represents something other than a departure from the plan?
Some pivots happen because circumstances change.
Others reflect shifting priorities.
Sometimes we gain information we did not have before.
And sometimes the person making today’s decisions is no longer the person who created the original plan.
A pivot does not always mean you have lost your way.
It may reflect greater clarity.
A broader perspective.
Or an honest recognition that something no longer fits.
Many of the women I work with have spent years following plans they created at a different stage of life.
Plans that made perfect sense at the time.
Plans built around opportunities, responsibilities, relationships, goals, and values that were important to them.
Then life happened.
New experiences emerged.
Priorities shifted.
Losses occurred.
Successes followed.
Responsibilities changed.
The plan that once felt right began to feel less certain.
This is often where people become stuck.
They continue moving in a direction that no longer feels aligned because they have already invested so much time, energy, effort, and identity into the original path.
Psychologists sometimes refer to this as the sunk cost effect. The tendency to continue investing in something because of what has already been invested, rather than evaluating what makes sense now.
The challenge is that life is not static.
We are not static.
The information available to us today is different from what we knew five years ago. The priorities we hold today may differ from those we held ten years ago.
The career that once felt exciting may no longer feel meaningful.
The goal that once motivated us may no longer feel important.
The version of success we once pursued may no longer reflect the life we want to build.
Acknowledging that reality can feel uncomfortable, especially for people who take pride in commitment, value perseverance, and have built their lives around being dependable, capable, and resilient.
Yet there is a difference between persistence and rigidity.
Persistence helps us continue moving toward something meaningful.
Rigidity keeps us attached to paths that no longer serve us.
A pivot invites a different question:
“Given what I know now, what makes sense next?”
That question is not a sign of weakness.
It is often a sign of wisdom.
Some of the most meaningful decisions we make involve adjusting course.
Choosing differently.
Making room for new information.
Acknowledging that we have changed.
The pivot is often portrayed as the interruption.
The disruption.
The unexpected turn.
What if the pivot is not evidence that something went wrong?
What if the pivot is part of the process?
What if the pivot is the plan?
Because sometimes the path forward is not a straight line.
Sometimes it is a thoughtful adjustment informed by experience, perspective, and self-awareness.
And sometimes the decision to change direction becomes the very thing that makes the next chapter possible.
I am a clinical forensic and reproductive psychologist in California and Maryland.