Permission to Pivot: What if the Real Power Move is Changing Your Mind?

In this episode of Hell Yes Habits, Elyse Bushard discusses the importance of aligning habits with personal growth and the necessity of changing one's mind without guilt. She emphasizes that growth is not linear and encourages listeners to embrace their evolving selves. The conversation covers reframing the perception of inconsistency as integrity and the power of checking in with oneself about what truly serves them. Elyse provides permission to pivot and evolve, reinforcing that changing habits is a sign of growth rather than failure.

Takeaways

• It's about breaking out of autopilot and showing up for yourself.
• You can change your mind without guilt or shame.
• Growth isn't a straight line; it's an evolution.
• Just because something doesn't feel like a hell yes doesn't mean you're flaky.
• You are allowed to pivot and change your mind at any time.
• Reframe inconsistency as being in integrity with yourself.
• You don't need to explain your changes to anyone.
• Check in with yourself regularly to assess alignment.
• Changing your mind is a sign of paying attention to your needs.
• You are becoming more aligned with a better version of yourself.

#HellYesHabits #Change #SelfImprovement #GiveYourselfPermission

Transcript

Elyse Bushard (00:02)
Welcome back to Helly Yes Habits. I am Elyse Bechard. This is coming at you late at night because that is just how my week has been, but I am not missing a Friday. I committed to this and we're here. ⁓ It might be like a calmer episode than maybe you're used to because I literally am probably gonna go to bed after this.

because it's been a long week, like I said, but I'm here. And I always want to take you along for the journey that is like what I'm going through right now, because I want to help you build a life that feels aligned, alive, and like a full body hell yes. That's what we're here for. And so today's episode.

I have needed this reminder recently and so I want to pass it on to you. ⁓ And it is basically just the reminder that you can change your mind even mid habit. You have permission to do that whenever, wherever you have permission to evolve, even mid plan, even mid process, even mid decision.

Even if you made a decision and ⁓ it is five hours later, it is five days later, it's five months later, you don't have to explain why you're doing something or feel guilt in any way for shifting or pivoting to something else. So if you're currently wrestling with guilt over wanting to quit something, you started

or feeling weird about pulling back from a routine that used to light you up, but like now it just feels heavy and not aligned anymore, this episode is gonna be for you. And this came up because whenever I am committed to something, I want to finish it, even if it doesn't feel aligned. I'm like that with work, I'm like that in my personal life.

Like I want to see the finish line, even if I suffer through it. And sometimes, sometimes you have to, right? Because adulting is hard. But sometimes, like you don't have to. You can delegate things that you don't want to do because maybe it lights someone else up. I'm learning that at work recently. Like if I voice that I don't like doing something, chances are there's someone on our team that

thrives at it or can give me tips to make it easier for me even if I am still the one who has to do it. So let's talk about changing your mind without that shame spiral. Like I tend to hold things in right and we when we want to change something and and suffer like I tend to suffer through it before

and being in this repeated shame spiral that I need to finish this regardless of if I'm enjoying it or not. here's the truth though, to start this out, that nobody really talks about is that growth isn't a straight line for anyone, for any human. And even your good habits might eventually need

to change. Not because you're failing, but because you're evolving and that's okay. Maybe you start a new workout program that used to feel exciting, but now it feels like something you're forcing your body to do and you hate waking up in the morning, hate it, not just because it's working out, but because the program is just not enjoyable anymore. Maybe you committed to journaling every morning, but lately it feels like just another task.

on your already overloaded list. Maybe you need to cut it out and do something else that is reflective. Like there's other things you can do if journaling isn't your thing. Or maybe you said yes to a project, a routine, a lifestyle, and now you're wondering why it doesn't feel like a hell yes anymore. And it's great. It's great to ask those questions. Like why doesn't this feel aligned anymore?

And almost like if you go back a few episodes, I talked about the 5 why-ing yourself. I do that routinely. Not just with clients at work. That is where I learned it. But I do it with myself. Like I'm like, why don't I want to go to this? Okay, but why do I feel like that? And you just keep going. It's called the 5 whys. You could probably keep going and going. But 5 usually gets you to the point where you find out the root cause of things.

go back a few episodes, go through this process and how I use it. ⁓

just because something doesn't feel like a hell yes, it doesn't mean you're flaky. It doesn't mean you lack discipline. And in fact, it doesn't mean you're listening to yourself in real time. Like, or it does mean you're sorry, it does mean you're listening to yourself in real time. And that is the power. Like a that you have, that's a power move for yourself. And

I used to think that when I give up on something or I quit on something that doesn't align with me anymore, I'm a quitter. And labeling myself of that was literally shaming myself. But the truth is that you're allowed to pivot, you're allowed to pause or pull back on something midway, mid-month, mid anything, any timeframe. You're allowed, because we're allowed to stand up

for what feels aligned for us. And no one else needs to understand why you're doing it. It just in your gut doesn't feel right. ⁓ Because let's be honest, a lot of the resistance of changing your mind, and I already touched on this a little bit, comes from the fear of what we think other people will think of us quitting things or switching things.

I have a friend that has passion for multiple things and it's very good at multiple things. People tend to judge her for things because she is always going after certain things, but when she is in it, she is committed and she's passionate and she does it. It's something that I actually admire about her. ⁓ But when it comes,

to what people are thinking and what you're... Basically what runs through my mind, at least in these situations, is that, I said I was gonna do this, so people will judge me. People will think I'm inconsistent. ⁓ What if I look like a quitter? That is a big one for me. ⁓ I think I talked about in previous podcasts,

how when in high school I quit basketball and it was a huge, it was a huge moment in my life that I actually stood up for what I didn't want to do. It was for all the wrong reasons, but like I actually learned a lot from that experience because I just decided

Like that was the first time that I was like, this is my life. I'm deciding to do this, whether or not it affects other people. And it did, it affected a lot of people in my life. But like what, like all of these things crossed my mind and, and I didn't realize it until just like, I would say my late twenties when I finally dealt with like the fact that I was just

doing the exact opposite because of trauma from that experience. So like instead of quitting stuff, I was staying in stuff like for a long time, even when I didn't love it, like just to prove I'm not a quitter, if that makes sense. So I was trying to do the complete opposite, but you don't have to do either one of those. And instead of thinking like all of these things, like

and spiraling in your head, let me offer just like a reframe of these thoughts that we're having in our brain. Like, you're not, you're inconsistent, you're not inconsistent. Like, people might think I'm inconsistent, what if I look like a quitter? The reframe of that is you're not inconsistent, you're in integrity.

with who you are right now. That's very powerful. You're not inconsistent. You're not a quitter. And you're in integrity with who you are right now. And that matters more than performing consistency for the comfort of other people. We live in a culture that worships discipline and consistency at all costs.

I'm not here to help you build habits that keep you boxed in. I'm here to help you build habits that reflect your season, your truth, and your current self. And that alignment piece is gold. Like that's where you feel the most confident, the most yourself, and...

No, you don't need to post a whole breakup letter to your morning routine and make this dramatic scene. You don't need to explain why you're not doing that 75 day challenge anymore. You don't need to explain these things. I give you permission to shift gears quietly, confidently, and without making yourself wrong.

Like you're not wrong for making that decision for yourself. And you know I always like to like apply it in a general way because I want you to be able to practice this. So here's a hell yes habit that you can practice around this is like practice the mid habit check in. So once a week,

or whenever something starts to feel off. You don't have to do it once a week. ⁓ But whenever something starts to feel off, ask yourself, does this still serve me in the way I'm doing it? Does it still feel aligned in the way I'm doing it? And am I doing this out of desire or out of obligation? And sometimes that last question, like maybe we are doing stuff out of obligation, and the question

then is I have to do this, how can I make it more fun? Or how can I get it done faster? That's another thing. Like how can you make, like something that you have to do at work isn't fun for you. How can you make it more fun? Could you ask someone for help and work on it together? Could you, or even just how can you get it done faster? Do it more efficiently, still do it.

to a quality level that is good, but like get it done faster. So you're not doing it for a long time. And if it's not a hell yes anymore, like that doesn't actually make it a failure at all. In fact, it just means you have more insights and it's more time for you to find things that feel aligned for you. And...

When things feel aligned, that realignment is what keeps you moving forward with energy and not with resentment. Because who wants to live their life full of resentment? Like that feeling is not fun to go through life at all. And changing your mind is not a weakness. It's a sign that you're paying attention to what your gut feels.

and your body feels, like your body will tell you when something feels off, your mind and your emotions, they will all tell you when something feels off. And so instead of ignoring that, dive into that, but also I'm just here to give you and myself, because I need to hear this as well, permission to pivot and change whenever we need to, because that's how we evolve and grow.

So to wrap it all up and to give like a mic drop moment here, here's what I want you to hear loud and clear today. You can stop. You can pause. You can shift. You can change your damn mind halfway through something. And you don't owe anyone a freaking PowerPoint presentation explaining why. You don't. You're not behind.

you're not broken, you're just becoming more aligned with a better version of you and you're growing into that. And that just means checking in, being honest with yourself and making decisions that honor who you are now and not who you were when you started, wherever that was. And yeah.

Like, I'm just here to give you permission. Give you permission to change and evolve, and sometimes we just need that reminder. I for sure as heck needed that reminder. And I hope this helped you today. And if this episode gave you like a little moment or sigh of relief at the end of this week on a Friday when I'm recording this at 10 o'clock at night.

⁓ if this gave you what you needed, sure. It was someone I would love. ⁓ that's the only way that this podcast grows, but also I would love to help more people. that's what this podcast is about. I want this to be a hell yes habit community. And I would also love to hear like what you've noticed in your life that you're not that you're either in a, in a shame spiral in your head, like.

I tend to do. Or if you are taking on this new shift in your life or new you're coming up on this new season and you're not sure how to navigate it, I would love to help you DM me on Instagram at Elyse Bushard. You can see it in the show notes. ⁓ And if you haven't left, leave a review, please. A five star review. It helps it grow.

helps this podcast grow. I can't believe what it's grown to in just me being consistent one time a week since November. ⁓ But yeah, until next time friends, keep growing, keep going. And you are allowed, I'm here to give you the permission and shout it from the roof that you're allowed to change even mid habit and change and evolve and

grow no matter what season or what phase you're in in your life. ⁓ It's not quitting and it's in fact courage and growth. Love you guys.