By archelys3@gmail.com How to reinvent life, 4 ways to reinvent yourself
In this world of hyper change, it’s easy to fall behind. Reinvention is no longer something we do every 3 or 5 years after a major life shift. Now it’s a daily activity affecting all areas of life—relationships, health, livelihoods, hobbies, finances, beliefs, values, spirituality and the list becomes endless.
So here are 4 reinvention jumpstart tools to apply to areas of your life that need a burst of new energy.
Opposites Brainstorming
This is a great tool when you’re stuck and can’t figure out how to move forward. Take a sheet of paper and at the top write the opposite goal from what you want to accomplish. For example
- How to gain weight (if you want to lose weight)
- How to stay stuck in a dead-end job (if you want to find a more satisfying one)
- How not to meet Mr./Ms. Right (if you want to find a new partner).
- Now quickly jot down ideas about how to create this negative outcome. This is fun, right?
Once you have a long list, on a new sheet of paper, re-write each answer by stating the opposite to your original idea. For example if you wrote: “Don’t have an up-to-date resume” as a way to stay stuck in a dead-end job, the opposite becomes: “Have an updated resume.”
The result is a new page of Positive Action Items ready to use.
Chunk-It-Down
One reason we often procrastinate reinventing an area of life, that needs an overhaul, is that it’s too difficult or overwhelming. When sidelined by this pothole, chunk-it-down and begin with smaller nuggets. (Read: How to maintaining a healthy lifestyle).
For instance, when I became newly single, the thought of attending a local singles event had me searching for a paper bag to breathe into. So I chunked it down. My first nugget was to go and stay only 5 minutes—difficult, but doable. Slowly I extended the time and added new activities to do at each event. Soon I was not only staying for the whole event and enjoying myself, but was looking for more types of singles activities to try.
Open Door Labeled: “Not Me!”
It’s so easy for us to define ourselves so narrowly that we eliminate new opportunities that would enrich our lives.
Take a second look at statements that limit your choices that begin with: I’d never, I only, I don’t, I wouldn’t, or I only like “x.” If we want to create and enjoy something different, then we have to be willing to explore new things.
Make a list of things you said you’d never do and then start opening some doors you labeled “not me.” Some you may close again, but others will surprise you with new treasures.
Embrace Improvisational Creation
It’s easy to map out a reinvention plan and follow it when we’re familiar with the route and know our destination. But what about those times when we don’t know where we want to go or how to create it? That’s when improvisational or create-as-you-go creation may be your answer.
Begin where you’re at and only initiate one immediate next step. Through the process of trial-and-error allow your future steps to evolve and be revealed one at a time. Continue step-by-step and even backtrack to any earlier place if you find yourself at a dead-end.
Improvisational creation doesn’t work on a straight line, but it does get you out the door to discover your destination and reveal to you how to get there.
Closing Tool Tips
Change is going to continue all around us at turbo-charged rates. Reinvention is one of the new lifetime skills we all need to embrace. Enjoy your discoveries that fall flat because now you’re a little smarter. Celebrate every new gem you add to your life.
In using these and other reinvention tools remember: the possible destinations are endless, and we never really remain at any for long. So remember to play as you reinvent yourself, and enjoy the present moment. It’s all about the immediate ride and not the destination.