Career Stuck? Pivot Yourself By Bruce Kasanoff

If at first you don't succeed, try again. I'm talking about me, not you. I wrote on this subject once before, and my piece... just... sat... there. But the message is important, so I'm trying again.
Differently. (I'm pivoting.)
In the world of startups, the concept of pivoting is well-established. You start with the "best idea ever", raise some money, hire some people, and... disappointment reigns. No traction. So, you pivot. Ever hear of a mobile shopping ad named Tote? It became Pinterest. A product created in 1999 by a firm named Confinity - to beam money between PDAs - became... Paypal.
So let me ask: is your career stuck? Maybe you should pivot.
I don't mean you should get a new job. I'm suggesting you completely rethink how you position yourself, act, and make decisions.
Take me, for example.
Five years ago, I was a customer experience consultant and speaker. Today I'm a ghostwriter.
Five years ago, it took me a looooonnnnnng time to explain what I did.
Today, I introduce myself as a "ghostwriter" and everyone I meet immediately starts asking questions about my career.
If you pivot, pivot to something that sparks interest.
This implies that you shift your focus like this:

Find the intersection of:

• What's hot
• What interests you
• Where you can create significant value

The first two are self-explanatory, but the third is not. "Value" doesn't necessarily mean you get a $250,000 salary and a company car. It might mean you get to prevent 1,000 children from dropping out of school. Value means that you are talented enough in that area to make a meaningful difference.
You might argue with my inclusion of "hot". Perhaps you think that it makes more sense to decide what's right for you, regardless of whether a particular area is in favor or not. I can't argue with such reasoning, but if you do that you will have to find your own analogy.
No startup deliberately pivots into a dead zone. You shouldn't either.
KINGSMITH.