This Is Where You Pivot: The Shift from Fear to Freedom

By Elizabeth Miles

"This Is Where You Pivot: The Shift from Fear to Freedom" by Elizabeth A. Miles is your compass for transformation. ?

? Unlock Your Power: You're never stuck, never lost, and never alone. At any moment, pivot toward a new path. Elizabeth Miles reveals how you can harness your inner strength to rewrite your story.

? Break Free: Elizabeth's journey from an abusive marriage to self-discovery will resonate with your soul. She dismantles toxic cycles of guilt, shame, and self-sabotage, guiding you toward freedom.

? Empowerment Blueprint: Dive into practical strategies for overcoming shame, guilt, anxiety, and fear. Regain your personal power, take decisive action, and ignite momentum in your life.

? Find Your Voice: Discover the path you truly desire. This book is your invitation to pivot, transform, and embrace the life you deserve.

? Order Now: Don't settle for fear. This Is Where You Pivot—grab your copy and step into freedom! ?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Miles
• Release date: Aug 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393434429

Elizabeth Miles

Elizabeth Miles lives in Portland, Maine, and writes for an alternative newsweekly. Visit her online at ElizabethMilesBooks.com, at Facebook.com/ElizabethMilesWrites, and follow her on Twitter at @MilesBooks.

Book preview

Elizabeth A. Miles

This Is Where You Pivot

The Shift from Fear to Freedom

First published by March Forth Media Company 2022

Copyright © 2022 by Elizabeth A. Miles

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical or mental health advice. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and well being particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Second edition

ISBN: 978-1-7332829-7-0

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

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Contents

Introduction

Meeting the Mountain

Take the Scenic Route

Getting Out of the Box

Listen to Your Heart

When Life Weighs You Down

Slaying the Demons in Your Mind

A Moment in the Mind

And Now, Back to Our Mountain

Connection V. Judgment and The World We Live In

Breaking the Self-Imposed Glass Ceiling

Gratitude

This is Where You Pivot

The Final Mile

About the Author

Introduction

Chapter Separator

There are those moments in life when you must make a decision. Do you stay where you are— or move forward? It’s not always a question of choosing the easiest outcome. Sometimes you have to consider which option is best for you at the time, regardless of how easy it would be to walk away or choose differently. Every day we are charged with making decisions that affect our life. It can get complicated; even uncomfortable. At times it’s downright painful. Those are the moments that can be toughest to push through, but they can be most rewarding at their conclusion. These are moments of growth—when we are pushed to move beyond what we perceive as our own limitations into something greater than we could have ever imagined.

This is where you pivot…

* * *

Meeting the Mountain

Chapter Separator

Iwas standing next to a stream, in the middle of a Central Pennsylvania campsite. It was a sunny, but cool, Wednesday afternoon. The site was set back a bit from a road that ran right through the campground. We set up our tent in an alcove just across from the stream. There was a fire pit and picnic tables right in the center. Winter had just turned to spring. Though not all the leaves had come back, we were still well shaded by the tall maple trees that lined the site. For the next two nights, my husband and I would be the only residents of this entire campground. The calm hush of the stream left a peaceful energy over us.

The inaudible words, Welcome home. This is where you pivot, danced through the site, echoing off the stream and bouncing off of the trees—all leading back to me. I had no idea where or who it was coming from or even what it meant, but I felt a tingling sensation over my entire body that left me with a serenity that I had never felt up to this point in my life.

My life was one filled with anxiety and fear for many years. Just several weeks prior to arriving here, my husband and I were separated, trying to work through some of the conflicts that had imposed themselves upon the relationship for years. The trip was a way for us to try to reconnect; a homecoming of sorts, but try was definitely the operative word.

Years ago, and just shortly after we had met, we went on a camping trip at a campground that looked very similar to this one. By the end of that weekend, we came home an engaged couple. Young. In love. Ready to conquer the world. In a way, it felt as though we had come full circle. This time around, we weren’t quite as young. Married for several years. Had kids and jobs. And the events that had transpired since? Well, they blurred the canvas from that image of the young-and-in-love couple. There was a lot riding on this trip, at least that’s how it felt. As I thought back to that original trip so many years ago, connecting back to that young girl I was, welcome home; this is where you pivot, was still ringing through my mind.

At forty years old, I had only dabbled in light hiking in my life. And by dabbling, I mean it was more like gently strolling through the woods. On a paved path. With clear markers and a road that leads you from one end of the park to the next. Maybe a bench or two along the way to sit and rest. Little did I know, the hike I was about to embark upon was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was exhilarating and a bit scary. It was like that feeling you get when you know you’ve stepped outside of your comfort zone with no idea what the outcome will be. This time, I stepped so far outside of my own box, I knew I was not going to be able to live within that same box ever again. Just a few months ago, I would have never allowed myself the opportunity to have this experience. My own self-doubt, fear, self-judgment, and overall lack of self-confidence would have prohibited me from saying yes.

But here I was. The day after we arrived at the campsite, I found myself standing in a gorgeous state park, heading on a trek to see a waterfall. Little did I know that this would be the hike of a lifetime.

We descended down a flight of stairs, arriving at a huge sign that read Hike at your own risk…sections of the trail ahead are steep and treacherous…hikers have been seriously injured and killed as a result of accidental falls from the trail and gorge overlooks…you are responsible for your safety.

Freak-out city started happening in my mind. This was not a welcoming site, nor one that instilled any additional confidence or desire to go on this trip.

Hang on, I thought. Why are there danger signs if we are just taking a walk in the park?

I had let my husband do the planning for this trip. We knew we wanted to go camping and since he had always loved camping trips as a young scout and was familiar with the trails in our state (or so I thought), it seemed fitting that he would take care of the plans this time around. Up to this point, I was usually the one to plan the vacations, spending hours researching the best hotels, the best itineraries, trying to maximize the fun for our often-tight budget. Now, he was in the driver’s seat.

This was the one time in my life I let someone else plan a vacation, and here I was with absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

I looked at him and pointed back at the sign. I could feel my heart start to race. Are you sure this is safe? I asked him. The huge wooden park sign was providing enough evidence to the contrary.

My husband seemed so calm, cool, and collected. He looked at me with his cool blue eyes and rubbing his hand ever-so-gently on my back, answered, We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. His voice was so soothing and reassuring.

Everyone else at the trail that day seemed pretty relaxed as well. Yet the signs in front of us clearly said, in summary, People have died trying this. Hike at your own risk. This to me translated to "Hike this trail and you, Elizabeth…will…die!" Was I the only one who saw the sign? Was I the only one who cared?

Within a few steps of starting our trek, we found ourselves at yet another billboard.

This trail is extremely dangerous. Follow these rules to be safe: hiking boots only, no sneakers or flip-flops; No drugs or alcohol, stay on the trail, good physical condition of hiker required. People have been seriously hurt or killed by not following these rules.

This was the second time within minutes that I was reading the possibility of my untimely death. With a nervous laugh, I motioned to my feet and said, thanks for insisting I get good hiking boots for this.

No problem, my husband replied with a slight chuckle, seemingly without a care in the world.

I asked him one more time about our safety. He responded by wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me in tightly towards him. In that moment, I could see the strong young man that I fell in love with so many years ago. He was only a few inches taller than me which made for the perfect embrace. It felt as though he would never let me go.

He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and took a deep breath. Do you trust me? he asked.

Do you trust me?

That was the million-dollar question. As soon as the words were finished rolling from his mouth, I felt a big knot in the pit of my stomach.

Did I trust him?

In that quick minute, our entire relationship seemed to flash before my eyes, and I’d like to say that I questioned it, but really, there was no question to ask.

My heart screamed out a very loud HELL NO, I don’t trust you. But because I had been the poster child for NOT listening to my intuition up until that point in my life, reluctantly, I answered, yes, of course.

The words came out of my mouth. With the rest of me still screaming no, I felt so sad, scared, and quite a bit disappointed in myself. How could I, once again, avoid the truth that had been staring me down for such a long time? I knew that if I had, in fact, said what I really felt, I could predict, with 100% certainty, that it would have turned into a big argument, which would have been counter to the purpose of the trip.

In short, I sucked it up to save face and make it look like I was doing okay. Remember that as we continue on with the story.

He motioned toward the trail. Then let’s get going. I’ll keep you safe. What’s the worst that can happen?

That sign back at the beginning of the trail stuck out in my mind.

Maybe I am reading a different warning sign, I thought. He tried to convince me that I was so scared that I was taking the sign way out of context, and I allowed myself to believe that my fear was making a bigger deal of it than needed.

All I could do was point back to the sign, and with a deep breath tell myself I got this.

Initially, the hike didn’t seem so bad. A little hilly. Some rocks. No big deal. That gave me a sense of confidence, and I started wondering what all the hype was about with the danger and warning signs. That lasted maybe ten minutes.

But as we continued to climb, the