One of my favorite business books is Pivot to the Future by Omar Abbosh, Paul Nunes, and Larry Downes. I highly recommend it for all IT professionals and, less expected, individuals looking to lose weight and improve their wellness. The concepts in the book can help those striving for a happier, healthier life!
Pivot to the Future highlights the key elements of Accenture and its clients’ recent success. The book’s key point is to show how Accenture and other top-tier companies release trapped value by continuously conducting a Wise Pivot. A Wise Pivot involves leveraging the lessons of the past and applying them with the tools of the future to release trapped value.
As I thought about it, I applied this concept in my weight loss and wellness journey to build a better, fitter, and more engaged me! The new tools I used were research and technology to drive new habits, thoughts, and ideas while leveraging the old!
Pivot from Bad to Good Habits
There is the seed of a good habit in every bad habit. Charles Duhigg explains this in his phenomenal book, The Power of Habit. Each habit consists of a trigger, a method to get a reward and a reward. The key concept is it is sometimes hard to change the trigger or reward, but you can achieve it differently. All you need to do is pivot yourself to a new method of attaining the reward and its manifestation.
One example of how I did this was my addiction to Diet Coke. Even though it is called Diet Coke, it is not suitable for diets (although it is somewhat better than leaded Coke). I used to drink 4 – 6, 16-ounce Diet Coke a day, which was not good for my heart condition and weight at the time (358 lbs.).
After studying this habit, I realized the reward I was getting from drinking Diet Coke was an energy boost that took away fatigue and momentarily satisfied my craving for carbonation. soon realized my fatigue was attributable to a lack of hydration.
I therefore switched out Diet Coke with sparkling water, which better reduced my fatigue and hydrated me! Now, instead of consuming double or triple my daily allowance of sodium and caffeine, I am satisfying my fatigue and carbonation fix while hydrating! I Pivoted to the New through my examination of the old (read more on this here: The Return of Elvis).
Pivot to a New Mindset
Another key element where you can seize on the old to achieve the new is thoughts. We often focus on negative memories when we are dealing with a problem. The problem is when your life is a list of grievances, all you get is grief!
Focusing on the positive can help you pivot to a new mindset. There will likely be an equally compelling positive experience to counter each negative. The key is finding the positive and discarding the negative.
Mindfulness and a gratitude journal are two ways to emphasize the positive and disregard the negative. These two new practices have often helped me to find a positive example to counter the negative ones racing through my head. Also, it is essential to remember that each failure is a lesson to propel you forward! Here are added insights on changing your thoughts and life: Stop the Negative Talk and Take A Walk.
Change from Old Ideas to New
Each old idea holds the root of the new! This is as true in wellness as it is in business. Here is an example of an old idea that turned into a new idea in health.
Calorie counting has been an element of weight loss ever since people have sought to lose weight. However, we have subsequently learned that not all calories are created equal. A calorie of protein satisfies more than a calorie of saturated fat. Likewise, it was thought that a good fiber dose could counter sugar’s ill effects.
I use an application that uses Weight Watcher’s (WW) Smart Point calculations to blend the old idea of calorie counting with the newest research on wellness. Since I began, WW has changed its point system five times, each incorporating the latest research on weight loss with the old discipline of watching what you eat. Each change builds on the former one and research to create a better path to wellness. Instead of chasing fads, I believe mixing the new with the proven tenets of the past will create a better future!
You can also transform the old you into a healthier future. Use these three concepts to pivot to a healthier you and a better world.
If you would like to learn more about how you can pivot to a new you, check out our upcoming webinar, The Top Ten Tips to Transform Body and Soul
