In a recent post (Does Part-Time Work Really Work – Part II), we covered several options if part-time work turns out to be less than ideal for several reasons. In this case, the options are: 1) Go back to work full-time, 2) Fill in the part-time work with a second (usually home-based) business opportunity, 3) Quit working entirely, 4) Decide it’s time to change careers, or 5) Reinvent yourself.
One measure is if what you currently do – as far as life or a career – no longer fits who you are anymore. Given that lifetime career choices are typically made when you were 18 to 22 years old, who you were at that age and what that person decided to do with their life may not fit who you are now. It’s difficult for a 22 year old to predict what a 50 year will want to be doing! (Enter the career change).
Life is a growing experience, and growing, by definition, involves change. So if there have been no changes in your life for a long period of time, you are probably stagnated. You are not the same person at the age of 35, 40, or 50 that you were at age 22!
So how do you know if it’s time to reinvent yourself?
Every few years, we need to reinvent ourselves. It may not need to be something as drastic as a career change, but even taking on a new hobby can be challenging and provide much-needed stimulation. When you have new experiences, learn new things, and then implement them, it changes you. This is called personal growth.
When you act on what you have learned, you will continue to grow.
Once you learn new knowledge, it is difficult to go back doing the same thing you did before. As a friend of mine puts it “You can only go backwards in a career for so long.”
(Note: I experienced this personally when I taught a class in my former career field after a prolonged period of coaching. I was asked to “fill-in” at the last minute for another instructor who got sick. On the morning I walked in to the classroom and introduced myself, a really weird feeling ran through my entire body. It felt like I was in the wrong place!)
So what is the solution?
It is at this point that you need to reinvent yourself. Sometimes that can take the form of a new job or even a career change (tomorrow’s topic).
When you reinvent yourself it allows you to consider things from different perspectives, and explore new areas of your life. In essence, you add another dimension to your former self.
So break out!
How have you reinvented yourself?
This is so me, only it’s not an occasional thing, its a regular occurrence for me to reinvent myself – in fact I wrote abut my latest transition just last week! http://showard76.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/reinventing-self-the-bpd-unstable-sense-of-self-and-identity-rears-its-ugly-head-again/
I read your blog post, and you’re right – you have have definitely re-invented yourself many times! Thanks for sharing your story.
Since the body reinvents itself by replacing skin and cells why not reinvent the mind, the spirit and the emotions for change. One challenge in reinvention – you have a paradigm change and the paradigm change leads to possibly forgetting who you were before the reinvention
Hello Karen,
“…act on what you learn”…important step that a lot of people miss. Great post and great blog!
J