Nimble
On Pivoting, the Sunk Cost Fallacy, and Why I'm Here
On New Year’s Eve, some people make resolutions. Not me! I pick a word, one that I hope will act like a compass, or a life vest, or even a matchstick I can strike against my thigh in the dark. This year, my word is Nimble.
Not strong. Not patient. Not fearless. Nimble.
It’s not a sexy word. It’s not embroidered on throw pillows. But it’s a word I’ve needed again and again, because I’ve had to turn on a dime more times than I care to count. I went to Perugia, Italy in 2007 to study abroad and ended up a murder suspect, which forced me to pivot from reading Italian poetry to defending myself in court and surviving prison. In the process, I developed a whole new set of skills I never anticipated learning. When I was acquitted in 2011, I thought I’d be returning to the life that had been put on ice while this Italian nightmare played out. Nope. That life no longer existed. I was no longer an anonymous college student. I had to pivot yet again. What sort of career and life could I build if t…