When Life Forces You to Pivot: A Reset Guide For Starting Again

By Tashia R. Jones
Available March 1, 2026
 
Preface
I did not plan to write this book.
In fact, if you had asked me in 2024 what my life would look like a year later, I would have described something entirely different: stable, predictable, comfortable.
But life had other plans.
Last year, I became an empty nester. My son left for the military. My daughter got married. The house that once held noise, movement, and shared meals became quiet, so quiet it felt deafening. Around that same time, a long-term relationship ended. Nearly eight years of companionship dissolved, and with it, the future I thought I was building.
Then, just as I was trying to steady myself in the silence, I was laid off from my job.
At that moment, the job ending was the final shift. The last piece made it undeniable. This wasn't just a hard season. This was a reset.
I didn't choose it.
But I had to respond to it.
All of these changes forced me to pivot. And in that pivot, I had to decide who I was going to be and what this moment would mean. The small steps mattered. My mindset mattered. My support system mattered.
I struggled, questioned, and grieved what was. But I also leaned into faith. I read books that strengthened my thinking. I spoke affirmations out loud when my thoughts were heavy. I opened my Bible. I prayed. I had honest conversations with myself. I spoke life into places that felt like they were dying.
 
This book was born out of that space.