PIVOT

I AM TAKING TIME TO LEARN THE VALUE OF THE VALLEY.

I wasn’t going to write this. For this was a quiet self-reflection that made me smile. I read: If the rain does not fall (or come), the corn does not grow. (we don’t grow) — Yoruba Proverbs.

So, we plant seeds, and we harvest what we reap. But we don’t control the rain.

(God does. He decides what grows and what dies. Everything happens for a reason, even bad things. I hate to say that, but it is true. Sometimes bad things happen to help us or someone else. So, remember we are not in control. The battle was never ours from the beginning.)

So, the harvest we reap is measured by the attitudes I cultivate. (Acts of Faith by Iyanla Vanzant.)

What you put in is what you get out. But if you plant the wrong seed, make a mistake, or fall. KNOW that if you can open your eyes and see another day, you can get up, you can restart again, and plant new seeds. And afterwards, gather a new harvest. (Les Brown)

So be willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means Adjusting or Pivoting. You keep moving but never take your eye off the ball.

I learned to pivot first, in my short, unnoticed basketball career. Yet in my mind I could give Shaq a run for his money. I make this reference about my fiction basketball career because I learned to pivot in the paint (The paint for no basketball fan is the bottom of the court where most layup take place) but never in life.

A pivot is a change in direction, position, or strategy while staying grounded in your main purpose or goal. It means adjusting when circumstances change without losing focus (general definition).

In basketball, a pivot maneuver is when a player keeps one foot planted (the pivot foot) while using the other foot to step and rotate in different directions. This allows movement, control, and new opportunities without losing position (basketball definition).

So, in life, pivoting to me means adjusting to change or roadblocks while keeping you focused on either your purpose or your goal. But what if we learn to Pivot through life with our foot planted in God’s word and prayer? Then we would be able to defend, rebound, and score no matter what happens in life. So, in this stage of my life, learning to pivot, rebound missed shots, and defend my boundaries. Rather, some opponents are easy or masterminds. But none of them compared to the battle we fit within ourselves (Our person in the mirror). The battle with ourselves is the hardest and most essential. From Creed I, the movie — we win the battle ourselves; we win period.

-To be who you are and become what you are capable of is the only goal worth living. — Alvin Ailey

Yet , We must take the time to learn the value of the valley.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful,” John 15:2 (King James Version).

Psalms 23 (King James Version):

The Lord is my shepherd

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the path of righteousness

For his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I AM TAKING TIME TO LEARN THE VALUE OF THE VALLEY.

Signed your work in progress,

Joshalyn

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash