Episode 90
The Quiet Pivot: Sandpaper Moments & The Art of Chasing Fun
Welcome back to The Quiet Pivot, my mini series for those in-between chapters—the ones where the old outfit doesn’t fit, but the new one isn’t quite tailored yet. In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my own pivotal transition: from a well-paid, intellectually stimulating geophysics career in oil and gas to my current role as a bridge builder for meaningful, sustainable futures.
Episode Highlights:
- The Sandpaper Feeling: I introduce my signature term for that subtle, persistent friction between who you want to be and how your work feels. This isn’t burnout or boredom, but a quiet signal that something’s out of sync.
- Society’s Labels & Black-or-White Thinking: From colleagues who couldn’t understand walking away to outsiders judging my industry, I explore the challenge of moving forward when everyone wants to put you in a box. Is your past a liability, or can it be a launching pad for positive change?
- Reframing the Pivot: Rather than running from my past, I chose to move toward what aligns with my strengths, curiosity, and values. I explain why chasing what energizes you is so much more sustainable than fleeing what drains you.
Resources & Links:
- Read more about the science of fun and access my pivot tools at vklavenes.substack.com
- Explore additional resources at storiesforthefuture.com/pivot
Want to be a guest on Stories for the future: Beyond the Bubble? Send Veslemoy Klavenes-Berge a message on PodMatch.
You can always find more information about the podcast and my work on storiesforthefuture.com
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Hi and welcome back to the Quiet Pivot.
Speaker A:This miniseries for the in between moments when the old no longer fits and the new isn't quite clear yet.
Speaker A:So I'm Vesh Lemay again and today I want to take you back to where my own Pivot really began.
Speaker A:This is the story of what it felt like to leave a good, exciting, well paid job in the oil and gas industry because it no longer felt right.
Speaker A:Actually, I have to change that sentence a bit because I didn't leave because it didn't feel right.
Speaker A:I didn't go back because it didn't feel right.
Speaker A:And actually there's a difference.
Speaker A:For years I was working as a petroleum geophysicist.
Speaker A:I had credentials, I was proud of.
Speaker A:This job I actually thought was pretty great.
Speaker A:But for quite a while there was something else there as well.
Speaker A:And that wasn't.
Speaker A:It wasn't burnout, it was not boredom because it was quite exciting work.
Speaker A:It was something I later came to call the sandpaper.
Speaker A:Feeling that subtle, uncomfortable friction between who I wanted to be and what I was doing in my job.
Speaker A:I think it gradually grew with my children.
Speaker A:Actually.
Speaker A:I remember I started thinking about what if there's this parents share about your work at school day at my boy's school or something like that.
Speaker A:I don't know if there's ever anything like that, but if there was one, would I actually like to share about it?
Speaker A:Not so sure anymore.
Speaker A:And at first I ignored this and then I rationalized it.
Speaker A:And that part is actually quite easy when you are surrounded by colleagues who do the same and also rationalize it.
Speaker A:And you know, our brain is really great at this.
Speaker A:When we have this cognitive dissonance, either you remove yourself from the situation or you find ways to defend it or like explain it.
Speaker A:But then it kind of solved itself.
Speaker A:This industry has its ups and downs cycles with good or bad oil price.
Speaker A: And in the downturn in: Speaker A:So the universe gave me a kick in the butt, you might say.
Speaker A:The moment I realized I no longer wanted to go back to that job came much later because I realized that I didn't really recognize myself in the work anymore.
Speaker A:And that moment was really both terrifying and clarifying and maybe freeing.
Speaker A:But I will get back to that.
Speaker A:Let's talk a little bit about the cognitive dissonance part for a while.
Speaker A:Because when your whole identity is built around a profession, and that profession is culturally valued, intellectually stimulating and financially secure, it's not easy to admit that you want out and Especially when your peers don't understand your decision and your well meaning colleagues tell you that you just hang on and wait until the oil price bounces back and try to squeeze yourself back in.
Speaker A:And also, people outside the industry assume you'll be fine because surely you have saved millions, right?
Speaker A:So for a while there, I found myself in this very uncomfortable space between basically my whole professional network at that time, who would not understand that I didn't want to go back, at least they wouldn't say it out loud, and the outside, the rest of the world.
Speaker A:It felt, and often people who already would have some really strong opinions about what I was coming from.
Speaker A:And that's for example when I heard that comment about, well, I really don't feel sorry for people losing their jobs in oil and gas.
Speaker A:If they haven't been smart enough to save up some money, they can blame themselves, end quote.
Speaker A:So transitioning to a new career can be challenging enough on its own, but when society's negative attitudes also come into play, it becomes extra difficult.
Speaker A:So how do you handle it when your surroundings question whether your intentions are good?
Speaker A:Will people trust you when you move in a different direction?
Speaker A:Are you held accountable for all the world's misery?
Speaker A:And can you almost sense a certain what to call it?
Speaker A:In Norwegian we say skaadefrid schadenfreude or cruel delight from those who once upon a time thought you had a really cool job.
Speaker A:So if coming from an industry which is seen as bad by a big part of society, and then claim that now I want to make a change, there can be some lack of trust.
Speaker A:Why should we believe you now?
Speaker A:Oh, so you're entering our territory now with your oil stunted hands.
Speaker A:Okay, I'm maybe exaggerating a bit, but I think you get what I mean.
Speaker A:I think an important part of this is our tendency to see things as black or white.
Speaker A:So either you're good or you're bad.
Speaker A:But if you have worked inside this industry or any industry really, you know that this isn't the case.
Speaker A:You have all kinds of people inside oil and gas as you would have in any other industry.
Speaker A:But because we so like to label people, put them into a certain category, this becomes challenging.
Speaker A:So then you can face this reaction of, oh, so you're changing now.
Speaker A:You come from this greedy, dirty industry and now you suddenly want to work with what sustainability skeptic?
Speaker A:And to just add to that about not everything being black or white, it's not like this entire industry is bad.
Speaker A:We have nuances here as well.
Speaker A:And this is A totally different episode.
Speaker A:But I truly believe that if there is some that could really move the needle to change for the better, it's exactly this industry.
Speaker A:They have the big organizations, they have experience in running huge projects, they have really clever people, problem solvers.
Speaker A:So if they decided to shift things as they should, they could really move mountains.
Speaker A:So with that in mind, what I have landed on for my own pivot is this.
Speaker A:Instead of dismissing my whole past and my former employers and colleagues and the work that I have been doing, instead of saying that I have done so much bad, now I will do good for the rest of my life to make up for it now, instead of saying that and moving away from what felt misaligned, I decided to figure out what I wanted to move towards.
Speaker A:What is it that aligns with me my interests, my skills, my values?
Speaker A:It's a bit like, you know, healthy eating.
Speaker A:It's so much more motivating to add healthy things to what you eat than to constantly think about what you want to avoid.
Speaker A:So by thinking like this, I get to have a much more positive mindset.
Speaker A:I have been chasing what brings me joy, what feels interesting and what I feel I'm decent at or good at.
Speaker A:And of course, what has a positive impact.
Speaker A:To take a somewhat extreme example, instead of saying that I will never return to the oil and gas sector, I can say that if there was a project that would be exciting that I would feel called to do, that would also let me contribute to taking us in the right direction inside my old industry.
Speaker A:So going back to oil and gas and doing something that would bring us in the right direction, this is not by definition off the table.
Speaker A:To be honest, I don't think that will happen.
Speaker A:But I feel it's a much better mindset to have than this all or nothing way of thinking.
Speaker A:So one thing is how I have been doing this for myself.
Speaker A:Another thing is how I would have done it if I were to do it again.
Speaker A:This way of chasing what energizes me, what I feel excited and curious about, is something I have cultivated over the years.
Speaker A:And it didn't start out like that at all.
Speaker A:I started out feeling really bad about my past, escaping it, changing out everything about it with skills and standards that I thought was more appropriate.
Speaker A:And that is not a good strategy, I think today.
Speaker A:So for the last couple of years, or maybe three years, I have been chasing the work that broke brings me energy.
Speaker A:I would almost say I have chased fun.
Speaker A:And if you think that doesn't sound serious enough, just listen to this.
Speaker A:What I'm talking about is the kind of fun that comes from doing something that matters to you.
Speaker A:Something that lets you use your strengths, be curious, that lets you play a bit.
Speaker A:The kind of fun that gets you into flow, the kind of fun that doesn't feel like effort, even when it's work.
Speaker A:And here is what I think is really interesting about this and that I have been reading a lot about.
Speaker A:It turns out that fun is actually critical if you want to do meaningful, impactful, sustainable work.
Speaker A:If you want to go deeper into this, I'm publishing a post on my substack about this almost as we speak.
Speaker A:So just go to vklavnest.substack.com Read more about the serious science of fun.
Speaker A:And while you are there, if you want to get access to the tools I have put together based on my own squiggly pivot, you can find those as well on my substack.
Speaker A:Or you can go to storiesforthefuture.com pivot so let me share one final thought.
Speaker A:If you're feeling that sandpaper feeling in your career at the moment, that friction between who you are or who you want to be and what you do, know that it's not about escaping or erasing your past.
Speaker A:Instead, it's about moving towards what energizes you and aligns with your values.
Speaker A:This isn't about labeling your past work as good or bad.
Speaker A:It's about finding work that brings you joy, lets you use your strengths, and creates meaningful impact.
Speaker A:Sometimes the most powerful transitions happen when we stop focusing on what we're running from and start chasing what lights us up instead.
Speaker A:I hope this was helpful and that you are starting to see this pivot as a great opportunity to discover a new and exciting path.
Speaker A:Next week we'll talk more about curiosity, one of my absolute favorite topics.
Speaker A:Until then, thanks so much for listening.
Speaker A:Talk soon.
