Imagine the iPhone was never updated after the first one came out. What if cars still worked like how Ford made the Model T? Everything needs to be reinvented because there is always room for design. You have to reinvent yourself for the same reasons.
You can't get lazy and rest on what you did yesterday, no matter how great it was. Success demands that you improve, and if you're not getting better, you're getting left behind. The key is to reinvent yourself before life forces you too. You want to do it regularly enough that you're always ahead of the curve.
“Just as established products and brands need updating to stay alive and vibrant, you periodically need to refresh or reinvent yourself.” —Mireille Guiliano
Some Reasons to Reinvent Yourself
Before you can change old ways and habits, you have to make a case for change. People don't just change for no reason, and people change because they feel they need to.
You will not reinvent yourself without reason, and that can be hard when things are going well. The path you're on maybe working today, but that does not mean it will be working tomorrow.
Shifts in Technology
The thing about the rise of the home computer or smartphones and how much that changed everything we live our lives. You have to keep a lookout for technologies that will change everything because they will also affect careers.
Think about AI and cars that drive themselves. These technology shifts are forward-thinking, and you can get ahead of the curve on these changes in many ways.
Life Not Going As Planned
The most straightforward case for change is when you're not happy with your entire life. You don't feel fulfilled, your gifts feel unused, and when you look in the mirror, your life doesn't look anything like how you thought it would.
At some point, you get fed up enough that you realize that change is a must. Unfortunately, many people in this place still refuse to change. They look at their lives as something that is outside of their control.
Adjusting for Success
Sometimes the best time to reinvent yourself is after you have already been a huge success. After spending so long trying to acquire wealth, you need to figure out ways to preserve it.
A great example is the judges on Shark Tank. They are all successful entrepreneurs who have found a way to increase their popularity and access to entrepreneurs through the hit show. You're never too large to have to adapt.
Acquire New Skills and Goals
You can make a case to reinvent yourself when you want new skills or set different goals. Your goals may bring you in another direction, and reach those goals, and you need a new set of skills that you did not have before.
You may be known for being a writer but decide that you want to get into another craft. It will require reinventing yourself because you will also have to shake off what you have become known for what you want to be known for.
Tired of The Same Old
Sometimes you want to reinvent yourself because you're tired of the same old things. You need a refresh to bring some zest back to your life. Maybe nothing is broken, and there is no significant tech change coming, but change is still desired.
Some people get joy from trying new challenges. Reinventing yourself can be fun because you get to humble yourself and be a beginner again.
12 Steps to Reinvent Yourself
1. Lock in On Your Reason for Change
You need a why for everything you do in life. You need to know why you're changing because there will be some hard days. When life gets hard, you will want to go back to what's normal.
When you know why you're changing, it will give you the strength to keep pushing. You will see that you're fighting for something much more significant for your life.
2. Create Space in Your life for Change
Start waking up earlier than you usually do. When you wake up earlier, it will give you time to do things that will improve your life. If you rush off to work every day, you're not able to take advantage of all of the time and opportunity that you have in the morning.
3. Get a Definite Purpose
You need to define what your purpose is for your life. This is the thing you are going to chase after until you're on your deathbed. It provides an overall life direction. You must know where you are going, or else you could drive right by it and not even know.
When you have a purpose, you can set goals that ensure that you are moving in the right direction. When you know your goals, you can develop daily habits to help guide you closer to your goals.
4. Adjust Your Circle of Influence
Your circle of influence must change if you want to reinvent yourself. Think about deciding that you want to get heavy into fitness. The best thing that you can do is hang around people who are already into it. Changing who you hang around is the fastest and easiest way to produce results.
You will observe and learn from the behavior of your new environment. Humans naturally are pack animals. You will do what you need to do to fit into the culture of your new circle of influence.
5. Become an Obsessive Student
The best thing about doing one thing for an extended period of time is all of the cumulative knowledge that you build up. You have learned a lot from reading and studying, but you have learned even more from doing. Then you start something new, and you have to build all of that up again.
You MUST become a learning machine. You don't have the time to learn from trial and error. You need to read the best books on the subjects and continuously be learning in any way.
6. Humble Yourself
If you come into this process with too much pride, you need to humble yourself or life will do it for you. Success takes time, and the only thing that can get in the way of your learning is having too much pride.
When you're humble, you realize that there is so much you have to learn. You are much more willing to sit back and listen before you try and speak or lead. Success reinventing yourself will take time, and things will not come easy. Some humble pie will help you on the journey.
7. Get Away From What Your Used to
Everything that you're used to can change. The bigger the life changes you make, the easier it will be to reinvent yourself. For example, let's say you move or you're getting married, that is the perfect time to reinvent yourself because of how far outside of your comfort zone you will be.
8. Invest in You
It's not cheap to reinvent yourself. Suppose you want to do it right and have to be willing to spend money. It could be money on books, courses, and training. It could be hiring a personal coach. Investing in you could also mean spending less time working so you can transition into what you want to do next.
9. Focus on What You Can Control
It's vital that during this time, you only focus on what you have power over. There is no point in worrying about what other people are doing or saying. If people support your change or not, it does not matter. All your energy needs to go into making the changes that you want to see.
If you spend time focusing on things outside of your control, you will become a victim of life. More time and energy will be put into what you can't do instead of taking the action you need.
10. Adjust Your Priorities
Now that you are reinventing yourself, you can't forget that your priorities need to change. You may be wanting to reinvent yourself as an excellent parent, for example. The best thing you can do make sure you know what your new priorities. If you don't do this, you risk falling back into the same habits.
11. Clear Out Physical Clutter
You could have triggers of your old ways throughout your house. Say you want to stop watching TV, removing it from your environment would be a great way to do that. Go through your living space, your car, and anywhere else you spend time cleaning it out.
Renew your areas so that there is room for new habits and lifestyles to fit. That includes taking things down from the wall and getting rid of the junk that has started over the years. This should feel like a new beginning.
12. Clear Out Mental Clutter
What baggage are you carrying mentally or emotionally? Its time to take our that trash out as well. Forgive people; you need to reconcile any relationships that are broken. You need your mind to be in a joyful place, and you can only get there.
When you're clearing out some of your physical clutter, it may bring up memories and emotional battles you faced earlier in life. When you throw those materials out, cleans your mind of that stuff as well. The worst thing you can do is drag all of that old crap into your new life.
Obstacles When You try to Reinvent Yourself
No path to any good is ever going to be without obstacles. Life is full of resistance, ready to test you at every turn. You have to prove that you have what it takes. There are a tonne of obstacles but
1. People Who Don't Approve
There will be many people in your life who don't like the fact that you're trying to change your life. They will do everything they can to convince that you should maintain the status quo.
They will project their fears on you. They may have a dream but too scared to chase it, and because of that, they don't want you either.
2. The Love of Comfort
To reinvent yourself, you have to throw away all of the comforts of your life. There is no bringing it all with you. If you do, then you're not genuinely reinventing yourself. That does not mean nothing can come with you, its more of a declaration that everything can't.
Something has to stay behind with the old life. When you start leaving an identity behind, it can make you uncomfortable and uneasy. You have to be okay with that and ready to embrace the new.
3. Inability to Take Risks
Reinventing your life is a risky business. It's not easy to do! It requires taking a risk because you don't know how things are going to work out. You are taking a leap of faith and following a calling or just something deep in your gut.
The reality is that you could fail. Trying to change could not work out in your favor. Having the courage to move forward in that anyway says everything that you need to know.
Why You Should Track Your Habits When You Reinvent Yourself
You want to use a habit tracker like Habit Stacker during the time you're reinventing yourself. The reason is that it will help you to have some accountability towards new behaviors that you are trying to build.
You will be able to enter the habits you want to do daily and check off whether you get it done. The app will help you to track stats and streaks and visualize how well you're doing.