It’s Never Too Late to Pivot (Even in Your 50s & 60s)

 I’ve noticed that a lot of you checking in or watching the replay are in your 50s and 60s. I love that, because it’s never too late to reset, start over, or pivot.

What “pivot” means to you

“Pivot” gets thrown around a lot, especially in the coaching world. For some people, it feels refreshing and exciting: a new city, a new adventure. For others, it feels like, “I’m too old for this. It takes too much energy.”

Is that you? I want to talk to you today.

The question I asked nurses

A few days ago I asked nurses a simple question: if you had it to do all over again, would you choose nursing, or a different career?

I was blown away. Over a thousand nurses commented, and they wrote me books. Of the thousands who saw it and responded, less than 1% said they were happy and would do it all over again.

A lot of them said they’d choose something different. But they’ve been doing it for 20 or 30 years. They feel too old, they don’t want to go back to school, and they don’t have the energy or bandwidth to start over. “This is all I know. Let me finish my years and retire.”

When I read those comments, something inside me grieved for them, because they feel stuck. And these are the people taking care of our children, our parents, and our grandparents.

My own pivot

I’ve been licensed as a nurse for 32 years, but I haven’t practiced since 2018. I was also a hairstylist for 27 years. Both of those careers were hard on my body: standing behind a chair 12 to 20 hours a day, running up and down hospital floors.

In my early 40s, I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. I didn’t have a plan or know what I wanted, but I knew what I didn’t want, so I crossed it off.

In 2017, I stopped doing hair. “Clients, find a new stylist. I’m done.” In 2018, God made a way: the state didn’t renew our contract, my job ended, and I received a severance package.

Then came the big question: now what? I decided to take some time and figure out my next move. Most importantly, I was open to the possibilities.

It wasn’t the real estate. It was the freedom.

Around then, I came across a woman doing real estate. It was the middle of the day, and she was riding around looking happy-go-lucky. That piqued my interest, so I went down the rabbit hole.

It wasn’t the real estate that excited me. It was her freedom. When I called my husband, who was out of town, I said, “Babe, I know what I want to be when I grow up. A real estate investor. They have so much freedom. They don’t have a boss!”

Little did I know my whole life would be consumed by learning real estate. I studied it day and night and dreamed about it. Some days I barely slept. It lit a fire in me I didn’t know was there.

You don’t need certainty

A lot of people don’t move because they don’t know what’s on the other side, so they choose to stay stuck. Others study and research until they’re buried in information and frozen with analysis paralysis.

I won’t tell you to just do it. That’s easier said than done. But the desire to become a better version of yourself has to be stronger than the comfort of staying who you are right now.

You don’t have to be certain of what’s on the other side. Just know that God is by your side, and He will never fail you.

For you today

• Answer this honestly: if you had it to do over again, would you choose what you’re doing now?
• Write down what you know you don’t want anymore.
• Stay open. Notice who and what piques your interest this weekend.

See you Monday, live at 6 AM Eastern on YouTube.