We’ll discover the power of Reinvention from Benjamin’s story. Benjamin Franklin, in a letter that he wrote to Jean-Baptiste Leroy in 1789, shared what has now become almost a sardonic proverb in our culture when he wrote: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Story of Benjamin Franklin
I’d like to add one more conviction. I am convinced that nothing is certain in this life except death, taxes — and reinvention. At some point in all of our lives we all go through changes, and whether they are personal or professional or both, one thing is sure: They are always transformative.
I have been through many periods of reinvention myself. After I graduated from college, I landed on Wall Street writing about, and, then, eventually, trading commodities. I did that for more than a decade. During that time I met and married my husband. Some time after we married I began to suffer miscarriage after miscarriage, so when my wonderful son was finally born, I transitioned (read: reinvented) into a full-time wife and mother.
During that time both of my parents, who were in their 50’s, became terminally ill and I immersed myself into the study of holistic healing and Feng Shui as well in order to try and find some alternative ways to lend them some quality of life in their last years on the planet.
I also found some staple tips that helped me through each and every one of my personal and professional fires. I return to these “reinvention resolutions” at any time I need a boost because they are so powerfully effective and offer myriad ways to embrace all the unlimited possibilities that life has to offer. Here then are five simple resolutions that will foster a rebirth filled with potential, purpose and personal power:
1. Get clear on your vision for your future
Visualize what you want your life to look like and then feel how you would feel if that future materialized right now. The key here is to garner the emotion of how you would feel when your dreams are realized and then to act ‘as if’ that were already the case.
Imagine the people, places, situations and circumstances that you want in your future and then imagine how you will feel when you are in that space. Put something at your bedside that symbolizes this new future vision. The first thing you see upon waking in the morning and the last thing you see before going to sleep has a powerful influence on your entire life. Resolve to consciously spend a few minutes meditating on this symbol each morning and night.
2. Elicit a sense of gratitude and/or forgiveness for everything and everyone that has bought you to this place of reinvention
Literally, think about all the people and circumstances that have bought you to this place of reinvention, and be grateful to them for the role that they have played in getting you to this place. Sometimes that will mean that you will have to also forgive certain people and situations before you can be grateful to them. But if you can forgive and be grateful (even if you fake it until you make it) you will clear the slate for new and wonderful opportunities to arrive. Resolve to forgive whoever or whatever you need to in order to move forward with optimism and hope.
3. Be kind to yourself
This sounds so easy and yet it can be so hard when undergoing a reinvention. We tend to think about, dwell on or even obsess over all of the mistakes that we’ve made along the way. But if you only remember, and, then, trust, that you are exactly where you are supposed to be at the exact time that you are supposed to be there, then you can let go of all that self recrimination and embrace your new and fabulous future.
Every morning upon awakening, go into the bathroom and look at yourself in the mirror. Look deeply into your own eyes and then say these three critically important words: “I love you.” Resolve to do this every morning for forty consecutive days and you will not believe the positive impact that this will have on every area of your life.
4. Do the work
Examine your vision for your future and then do something each and every day that will get you closer to your goals. Make a list of 10 things that will push you down your newly chosen path and then resolve to do one thing each day to help you to achieve them.
5. Get a mentor
This could be an in-the-flesh person who will advise and show you how they became successful, but a mentor could also be books or movies or other reading matter that will help you to stay motivated and inspired. Since I believe that everything and everyone has some sort of mentoring message for each of us, then everything you read or hear will mentor you if you believe that too. Resolve to learn one new thing related to your reinvention every single day.
Truly reinventing yourself is liberating and positively life-changing. So, then, each time you find yourself slipping back into old habits and mindsets — and you will — ask yourself what you can do to keep moving forward. Choosing this attitude will then allow you to choose and create your future with ease and with grace.
Resolve to choose your own future with ease and grace. And then you will.
