Inflection Points in Life

The other day, I was talking to someone whom I had met almost 5years back. At that time, I had been looking for a job and had been connected to her. So recently, after finding out that I had moved to Singapore and was a homemaker, she decided to reach out to me. She had recently decided to start consulting firm with some colleagues and was on the lookout for people who could work with her on project basis.

It was clearly a situation of significant change for her, which made me think of it as an Inflection Point in her life. Now mostly an Inflection Point is used for business/ environment/ mathematical situations but honestly, it is of equal importance to a person. 

What is an Inflection Point?

An inflection point is an event that results in a significant change in the progress of a company, industry, sector, economy, or geopolitical situation and can be considered a turning point after which a dramatic change, with either positive or negative results, is expected to result (from Investopedia).

For example COVID-19 pandemic has been an inflection point for companies and economies. Either the businesses will sink or reach new heights basis how they respond to the situation.

Isn’t that similar to us mere mortals too? We all have them, points of time which could create seismic shifts in our future such as a job or location, or relationship etc. they could be created by us or accidental. And how you deal with that situation at that point will decide the fate going forward.

It got me thinking on my Inflection Points – and I could think of a few e.g. when I decided to leave an organization after almost 7yrs to take up a role I had no clue about, or when my divorce came through, or my cancer.

Now most often, these could be scary as shit situations, right? Not something you are able to often think through, but honestly, these can also be the most amazing opportunities – where there are no rules. It’s an open field and a chance to reflect inwardly and create the future we want.

It can be a catalyst for strong changes, but which depend on how you deal with it. And not a lot of us see it that way because of the discomfort of the situation. And the anxiety and stress that follows.

But when Ranveer Singh sings “Apna Time Aayega!” he is basically craving for his inflection point! Most of us love stagnation to some extent, yet we crave excitement. So, our inflection point is our chance to reinvent ourselves to some extent.

All of us have them, whether of our choosing or not but how we deal with them will decide how the future is drawn out. So, the next time you hit an inflection point, embrace it slowly. It’s giving you an opportunity for metamorphosis. It could be radical!