Reinventing Yourself

I just returned from Ireland, and as I recover from jet lag,the greatest impression I return from that emerald island with is reinvention. As always when we have visited European countries, we spent a good bit of our time tracing history.

Ireland has a bittersweet history. There were the struggles against the British, civil wars, famine and exile of population to the United States and British Commonwealth countries. Consequently, four million Irish live in Ireland today while 40 million of Irish descents are found in the United States!

But Ireland appears to be in a process of reinventing itself. Rather than losing population abroad, the country is gaining returnees who are reclaiming ancestral homes. Everywhere we traveled we saw new construction 3Ú4 roads, buildings and infrastructure. Fifty percent of the population of Dublin is under the age of 25.

There is new energy pulsing through the country. Even small hamlets boast an Internet cafe. To tourists, Ireland is the new Cairo - people are flocking to see the ancient Book of Kells and strange pre-Christian rock formations as they once traveled to see the Pyramids.

Economic boom times give Ireland the impression of being an overnight success. But she has been preparing for her return to prosperity for many years.

Watching a country break free of its former definitions reminds me how necessary and rejuvenating reinvention can be for each of us.

Just because we have behaved a certain way all our lives or been involved in a particular career or industry, we are not doomed to continue along those lines forever. We can break free and discover new ways to live our lives.

Obviously, if we always do what we always have done, we'll always get the results showing up in our lives that we've always had. Somewhere along the way we need to break the pattern.

Here are ten principles for you to ponder as you consider how you might reinvent your work and your life:

1. Stay open and flexible
Keep your options open and go with the flow. Don't turn down opportunities just because they are outside of the parameters of what you have thought to be your job title or place in life.

2. Cross pollinate
Take your ideas, skills and know how from one field to another. Step outside your comfort zone. Look for ideas to bring into your field from others. Plant your ideas within entirely new fields.

3. Follow your heart's desire
Your heart is a wise barometer of what you need to be doing with your life. Don't overrule it entirely with practical suggestions from other people or with notions your mind invents.

4. Live a little
Life experience provides hints The more experiences you accumulate, the more you get a view of what works for you and what doesn't. These experiences provide the fodder for continuous reinventions of yourself. Through these experiences you amass wisdom and skills that will become invaluable to you in your next pursuits.

5. Visualize
Paint a picture in your mind's eye of what you want in your life. See this image occurring as you fall asleep at night and upon awakening in the morning. Take every chance to experience this inner image with all of your five senses.

6. Be curious
Keep your eyes and ears open and your antenna up for new people and new ideas to enter your life.

7. Network like crazy
Make a point to meet new people as often as you can. New people in your life will enrich you and lead you to new opportunities.

8. Overcome the know it all stages of life
Adopt a beginner's mind. Even if you are well schooled, you have much more to learn.

9. Be a life long learner
Seek new ways to stretch yourself. Find new challenges to master. Attend classes, workshops, read numerous books.

10. Embrace new ideas and technology
Don't get locked in a time warp, only interested in the gadgets and gizmos you knew when you were young.

Here are some suggestions for what you can do as you embrace these principles:

Take on a principle each week.

Each morning, journal about how staying more open and flexible than you usually are could affect your life. Or journal about any of the other principles.

Find a new pursuit that allows you to approach it as a beginner.

Consider what your work life would look like to someone from Ireland. Or Bolivia. Or Mars.

Add to this list your own reinventing yourself principles.

In his book Career Reexplosion: Reinvent Yourself in Thirty Days, Gary Joseph Grappo suggests that changing your career can change your life. To arrive at three new career directions to explore, he suggests this simple exercise:

List at least 10 childhood experiences, situations, events, hobbies, interests, skills, education, etc. you enjoyed and made you happy.

Repeat this list for activities that have made you happy throughout your adult years.

Place these lists side by side and list your top ten dream careers that may be derived from the dreams, passions, and experiences you have accumulated from the two lists. Brainstorm with friends, conduct research on the Internet and create these careers without worrying about the education, money or resources you'd need to achieve them.

Pare your list of ten down to your top three Career Reinvention choices. These three choices are fluid. They can evolve and change. Just take action towards them now and see what occurs. Reinvention takes commitment and action. It also helps to surround yourself with people who will egg you on to your dreams.

Reinventing Yourself Bookshelf

Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Rest of Your Life by Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro
Become who you really want to be when you grow up3Ú4 no matter how grown-up you are.

How to Choose Your Next Employer by Roger E. Herman & Joyce L. Gioia
If you want some clarity about who your next employer should be, the worksheets here will help you.

Career Reexplosion: Reinvent Yourself in Thirty Days by Gary Joseph Grappo
This book will help you find ways to re-inspire yourself and challenge yourself to new career adventures.

Total Career Fitness by William Morin
Using the metaphor of fitness, helps you determine your best career action.

Copyright, Melanie Keveles 2008, All Rights Reserved.