Across time, humans have proven that they are truly remarkable at adapting, yet woeful at pivoting. What is the difference between the two concepts? For me, adapting is essential for survival, while pivoting is optional.

When faced with death, either literal or metaphorical, most people will indeed adapt. There are of course countless examples, but perhaps a particularly extreme one is Mountaineer Aron Ralston cutting off his own arm in order to escape being wedged in a slot canyon. This is a classic example of humans doing things they never thought they were capable of, when all options have evaporated.

There are much fewer examples of pivoting. Pivoting requires one to be proactive rather than reactive. It requires foresight, vision, imagination, and most of all, courage to break free of status quo.

In the 2002 film, Adaptation (based on the book, The Orchid Thief), the character of Susan Orlean is baffled by John Laroche’s ability to pivot his life obsession from one thing to the next. Laroche spends years fully committed to collecting rare turtles before finding that his obsession has waned and moves onto ice-age fossils, then silver mirrors, tropical fish, and eventually, orchids.

In one particular scene, Susan Orlean, questions Laroche about how it is that his obsession for something can just disappear. Laroche says bluntly, “F*ck fish” and later shrugs his shoulder and elaborates “Done with fish”.

Most people cannot pivot in this way. And of course, I don’t suggest that they do, exactly. Laroche is a rather odd character and it isn’t hard to argue that his tendencies may be unhealthy and even pathological. But there is something here. Some kind of rare malleability that he has with his life path that Susan (and many audience members) envy and are smitten by.

In my own life, I’ve found it to be a reoccurring theme to encounter people incapable of pivoting from careers they have invested in, despite all evidence pointing to said path becoming obsolete. As we know, the world is increasingly dynamic; technological, economic and cultural changes move faster than ever before. Yet, it seems most still struggle to imagine futures that are notably different from the one they’re currently in. In other words, recency bias kicks in and people tend to assume that most of what is happening now will perpetually cycle into the future.

Conversely, I believe that people can flourish the most when we know the path we are on is truly resonant with the present moment. And this may often require thinking ahead and making difficult and uncomfortable choices. In my view, a lack of pivoting means a lack of resources being used wisely. It means a lack of our energy, passion and creativity going to all the right places.

But before we can be better at pivoting, we have to understand six deep-seeded reasons why it is so hard for us to pivot.

1. recency bias

Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert refers to a particular cognitive bias as the “End of History Illusion”. His 2013 research revealed that if you ask someone how much they’ve changed to the person they were ten years ago, most will emphasize they are markedly different. But if you ask people how much they’ll change ten years from now, most emphasize they’ll be more or less the same as today. We like to believe that we have somehow reached our “final form”; that the moment we are in now is where reality is “locked in” and we have now reached our true, “static self’. We cling to this because the idea of a constant state of flux is an unsettling one, in the same way that death and impermanence are unsettling. We try to cheat death with legacy, statues, and “the perfect home”, but there is of course no way to defeat the constant flux of reality.

To be prepared to pivot in life means to accept that everything is changing and to be wary of the assumption that the future will simply be a predictable extension of recent history.

2. complacency

While most of us have an allergy and fear of constant flux that prevent us from pivoting, perhaps even more pervasive than this is a our complacency with the present status quo. It is all too easy to become complacent. If things are generally working, if drama is largely avoided, then why should we change? After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

The trouble is that existential issues often fly under the radar, and while contentment can be a positive force, complacency is when we have our blinders on to the impending threats around the corner. If the status quo is adequate for now, this often lulls us into a comfort and a false sense of security. And this comfort stifles imagination and proactivity. Remember that prevention is the best cure.

Even the simple act of regularity and routine can breed complacency. Lest we forget that we are creatures of habit and environment. I think of routine as like our favorite pillow that we turn to every night. Sure, it’s comfortable and comforting, but it also lulls us to sleep in every sense.

Ironically, success is also a driver of complacency. Those who encounter notable success often allow a sense of a sense of being “anointed as great” to creep in, leading to the belief that giving 110% effort is no longer necessary. There is no greater example of this than the cycle of major corporations shrinking into irrelevance due to a reluctance to pivot e.g. Intel, IBM, Nokia, or Blockbuster. In the same way that we, as individuals, often succumb to “sleeping through life” by failing to comprehend the urgency of our mortality, corporations suffer from this same sleepwalking. Historically, virtually all companies slide toward obsolescence if given a long enough timeframe.

Furthermore, as a cinephile, I’ve watched many of my idols fall prey to this same success-bred complacency. I have seen the arc too many times: a brilliant body of work eventually eroded by mediocrity as the hunger for greatness and experimentation fades.

The only way to stave off complacency is to be relentlessly intentional about stoking one's own inner fire. You must eschew comfort and maintain a thirst for adventure; continually dreaming big, setting aggressive deadlines, and questioning the status quo. It requires a rigorous self-awareness to uncover the blind spots that a circle of “yes-people” will not find for you.

Complacency with the status quo and pivoting are not compatible. To have the courage to pivot, one must have maintain a fire inside them and a thirst for risk-taking.

3. "hopium"

Hopium is complacency’s cousin. While complacency is the belief that our inaction will mean things will stay the same, hopium is the belief that our inaction that will mean things will get back on track. It is many ways a blind hope against all available information. And it is often an attachment to the idea that we have some god-given right that if we simply work hard we are destined to prosper.

This blind hope reminds me of the adage often cited in investing wisdom, “hope is not an investing strategy”. Arguably the most important aspect of investing success is developing the psychologic aspect of the game. For instance, most new investors struggle to sell positions they have taken a loss on. In these situations, hope often kicks in and clouds judgement. Despite the company’s executive team continually over-promising and under-delivering, despite various metrics falling short, novice investors (and even seasons investors) often convince themselves that the company will turn around simply because they cannot concede it was a poor investment. They become married to the original thesis, unable to adapt to new information.

Similarly, in our careers, people often linger in unhappy circumstances for too long, convincing themselves that management will eventually “turn over a new leaf”. But alas, we know that significant systemic and cultural change rarely occurs.

It takes an open mind to look at the situation more objectively, accept the loss, walk away, and pivot.

4. sunk cost fallacy

Of course, it is only seemingly rational that when we commit large amount of time, energy and money to a decision, it becomes more difficult to cut our losses and move on.

In poker, for example, we know that inexperienced players struggle to fold weakening hands that they have already sunk money into. Instead, they will stubbornly continue to succumb to additional betting rounds and hemorrhage money on the hope of the improbable. The poker slang is, “pot committed”.

This same issue arises with career paths that demand inordinate amounts of up-front time and cost. Under these circumstances, it becomes incredibly emotionally difficult to change paths and feel like all of that investment is wasted.

But just because one has already outlaid large resources, that is not cause to perpetuate a decision. A clear mind focuses on present and future with fresh eyes not tainted by prior blood, sweat and tears. This is not an easy feat of course, but it is necessary for optimum decision making.

The real question, is not how much have you already spent, but what is the opportunity cost of not pursing the thing you should probably be pursuing. Not to be dramatic, but when you don’t have a sense of urgency about pivoting, the amount you drift from where you want to be has an exponential quality to it as time goes on.

Consider this Japanese proverb:

“The longer you are on the wrong train, the more expensive it is to get home”.

5. preserving identity

When we make certain life decisions, such as our career, these decisions become identify-defining. After all, we are social creatures with tribal tendencies and choosing a career is as much about asking oneself a question of who is it that we want to spend our time with as much as it is a question of what it is we want to do with our time.

Over years, there is a self-perpetuating of our identity. We choose a career, it shapes our peer group, and those peers influence us to make more decisions like them, and so on. With each cycle, our sense of self becomes more narrow and crystallized.

This makes pivoting profoundly difficult. It is not only a leap into financial uncertainty, it is a challenge to the very foundation of who we believe ourselves to be, and who we belong with. To then pivot often feels like eroding both identity and associated community.

But recognizing this fear is the first step to overcoming it. If your identity rests heavily on a job title, ask yourself: is that truly the essence of who you are? A title is at best a shorthand, not a full story. Beneath it lies a depth of character, creativity, and individuality that transcends any profession. Developing and expressing that deeper identity is essential for growth, yet it is often overlooked.

And as for social circles: true friends value you beyond your occupation. The fear of rejection or judgment, while deeply human, is often exaggerated. If a relationship cannot withstand the shift of a career, perhaps it was anchored more in convenience than in genuine connection. Pivoting, then, is not just about finding new opportunities, it can also be about discovering which parts of your identity, and which relationships, are truly enduring.

6. preserving status

Then we have status. Few forces are as quietly powerful in shaping human behavior, as status. It is closely entwined with our desires for companionship and money. For some, money is a gateway to status, and status is the gateway to companionship. One way or another, it is a major part of the equation of nearly everyone’s life, whether we admit it or not.

As a motivating force, status often hides in the shadows. We like to pretend it isn’t there, or that it doesn’t affect us, when in truth it exerts enormous influence over our choices. This doesn’t mean everyone dreams of becoming president or winning an Academy Award. The allure of status is often far more subtle: a small upgrade in a job title, the prestige of a university, the number of followers on social media, or the respect of a peer group.

We accept this flexible application of status because it can be used to motivate (and manipulate) people across all levels of society. What ultimately matters to us is not status in some universal sense, but status within our chosen cohort: the small circle of people whose opinions we care about most.

Status flatters the ego. It gives us a sense of purpose, belonging, and achievement. It appears to offer admiration, respect, even love; all the things we deeply crave. And so, when pivoting requires giving up that hard-won standing and starting afresh at the bottom of the totem pole, it is no wonder that many find the prospect terrifying.

My solution is simple: care less about status. Unlike companionship or even money, there is nothing inherently noble in the pursuit of status. Money, at least, can be put to good and useful ends. Status, by contrast, is a hollow reward if it is pursued for its own sake, and to be driven by it is a weakness of the spirit.

Of course, letting go of this desire is easier said than done. Our longing for recognition is ingrained from childhood and reinforced through adulthood. But it is a mountain worth climbing. To loosen the grip of status is to free yourself from one of the most pervasive forms of social control. It is to reclaim the ability to choose your path based not on superficialities, but on what genuinely matters to you.

And here lies the paradox: by pivoting toward pursuits that truly ignite you, you may well gain more status than before. But by then, you will know that one of the rewards was not status itself, but rather the freedom of no longer being ruled by it.

* * * * *

So, when you pile up all these six reasons, it’s once again, no surprise that we struggle so much with pivoting. But, alas, that doesn’t make it any less of a critical issue.

Make no mistake, our lack of ability to pivot is a profound disservice to ourselves and the world around us. It is an irrational stubbornness that is mostly born from fear and that ultimately helps no one.

These are harsh words, but this is the truth.

Of course, not everyone needs to pivot. But rather, the message here is that each individual can only know, deep within themselves whether they are truly on a path that makes sense for them, or whether they are remaining blissfully unaware with their head in the sand.

Only you can truly knowing what your motivations are and whether you happened to have become blinded to the red flags. Only you can know whether you are following your deep desires, or are willfully convincing yourself that everything is okay. Only you can know whether you are being rational or whether you are reverse engineering a set of arguments to help justify the status quo.

Remember that most likely the people you look up to were pioneers in some way. They were able to make bold decisions, go against the grain, and trust themselves above all else. Their situation may appear stable now, but most likely radical decisions were made at some point in their trajectory.

The more we can each not be held hostage by our innate needs to preserve identity and status, the more we can be free to truly do what is in our best interests. The more we can avoid dwelling on past investments of time and energy, the more we can see clearly what lays ahead.

I often think of this quote from the film, The Weatherman (2005):

“The hard option and the right option are usually the same thing.”

In short, If you feel unhappy with where you’re at and where you’re going, don’t procrastinate. It might be time to say, “F*ck fish”.

forget fish

August 24, 2025 · 11 min read — Last Edited February 9, 2026