There are many retired people where I live, probably what the marketers would describe as the 'lucky Baby boomers.' These 'lucky' people it seems have decided to sell up and 'live the dream' in the sun.
I hear them chatter about how they spend their days, pleasing themselves. Family and friends come to stay, they play golf, relax in yoga, sip coffee, scoff cake, visit the markets, lunch out, dinner with friends, potter around the house, swim in the pool, read books and goodness only knows what else.
It's not a life I crave and at almost 55 years I am not yet ready to retire. Every day when I wake I can feel excitement and adventure waiting for me. Without a crystal ball, I have no idea what that might be, and that is half the fun. The other half is finding ways to live an abundant and fulfilled life.
I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone. Henry Rollins
Looking back on my life and career, some things appear higgledy-piggledy. I joined the IT industry at a magical time. PC's were appearing on desktops, computing was becoming available to the man in the street, and we were starting to communicate in different ways. I followed the buzz with little thought about the future. From training to presales, account management, sales, marketing, personal branding (strategy and training), coaching (executive), training (personal development), writing, coaching (life and book), nothing mattered as long as I was achieving and enjoying what I was doing.
Out of the blue, life changed. Redundancy and broken relationships crippled my self-confidence, it was if I was no longer useful or had any worth. I lost my way or so I thought. This period of intense personal change and growth too seemed random and equally higgledy-piggledy.
I didn't realise I was being shaped for a different kind of life. It never occurred to me that I was on a reach your dreams training programme. It just felt tough. Then one day I received an important wake-up call. Nothing life threatening, but a slap around the chops, none the less. I realised later that it was as if some divine power had been working on my behalf.
When I reviewed the movie of my life, I could see that all of these experiences have made me who I am. These trials, tribulations, extreme highs and lows, adventures and experiences are all there and have been waiting for me to gather them up and use them in a new way. I had been given a rare and precious opportunity to collate and review them so that I can re-invent myself into who I was always meant to be. Does that make sense? It is as though I have a second life. I call it Eve-olution. Slow and steady transformation.
Do a job and skills audit
These are your transferable skills. How can you reuse them?
Undertake a knowledge audit
- Explicit, the stuff you can lick. Think blogs, books, articles, art, crafts, anything that exists that you can lick with your tongue. Not that you would want to lick it all, of course
- Tacit, the stuff in your head. This is the knowledge that you (mostly) take for granted. This is what is known as unconscious competence (you just do it). These are the things that you can just do without thinking.
Review what you know and what you have. Access it's usefulness. Then ask how it fits with your reinvention plan.
Uncover your real values and live your life by them
People will connect to your energy, passion and purpose, but more importantly, they will stay with you because of shared values. It is your values that will help you to create the foundation from which you emerge like a Phoenix from the ashes.
Write about your perfect day, establish a vision for your future. Bring it alive with all of the senses. Have and be whatever you want to be. Leave it and reflect. Come back extract a list of value words. Put each word on a post-it note. Group like words. Now pick 8-10. Review them. Be brutal and whittle down to five and write about why they are your values. Then extract your vision statement. And finally create ten steps that you will take to reach your vision.
Get better acquainted with what lights up the fire in your belly
Find out what lights you up. Take some time to discover what you absolutely feel passionate about. Find the one thing that creates purpose in your life that's what creates your big WHY and will be what you 'do' going forward. When you have what it is, put one hand on your heart and one on your belly and ask. Only when you have an answer re-ask with your head. Always, heart, gut and then head.
My friend Dawn quite by accident started to make small ceramics for friends, now she owns a kiln and pours her heart into he fabulous creations. Who knew when I met her at 13, that she was so talented?
Find your voice and share your inspirational message
You have a voice and an inspirational message. Have faith that others need to hear it. Dig out your journal and start writing again about your perfect day and how you are using your message to inspire others. Leave and reflect. Come back and keep cutting it down until you have one sentence that is your message. Ask what you can create from here?
Just do it - decide to re-invent yourself
Writing and book coaching is my thing. Having written several books, which I use for workshops and writing retreats, I am currently writing a series of books called The Conscious Woman's Guide to... I am excited beyond excitement. These are from my heart. At the same time, I am foolishly doing Nanowrimo and churning out what I hope will become my first novel (scared or what!).
Put your energy into what thrills you and which will be a part of your re-invention process. Write a plan and take action every day.
Write a book and start a blog
Brainstorm book ideas, turn them into an outline and chapter framework and start writing. Blog your book and then repurpose your book into more blogs. Your book will help you to cement your reputation and credibility.
Your call to action is to review you and turn your dreams into action. Find me when you need support to write your book. My mission is to inspire you to write a book that will change your life and the lives of everyone that reads it. Do it today.
Today is the first day of your reinvention plan. Enjoy!
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence