I'd heard it all before.
"I have been studying nutrition for years. I have a BS in health, and I've worked in the industry in a variety of ways. Last year I lost my job and after a lot of contemplation, I decided to uproot and move to another state to have a new lease on life. I'm here reinventing myself, and I would love to be a nutritional coach and start my own business. But I'm not having much luck. I'm starting to get into panic mode and think I might have to get a job. I'm not sure what to do next."
Sound familiar? Your details may be slightly different, but I've run across all kinds of people in the throes of reinvention that handle the situation in a similar manner.
1. They are laid off.
2. They search and search for a job, with very little luck in the process.
3. So they make a change.
4. They move to another house or city or state to have a "do over."
5. They play around with the idea of starting a business -- why not do something they love for the first time in their lives?
6. They "plan" more than "do" until it comes to crunch time and they have very little options left.
7. So they look for quick results in the shortest time possible. They need money and they need it NOW.
8. Which of course means they rarely get the results they are looking for
9. Back to the drawing board. Admit defeat. Go back with tail between legs and accept life as it always was.
As I was talking with this latest reinvention-seeking woman, I asked her how long she had been pursuing coaching as a business.
A year.
How many clients has she had?
None -- she's still planning. Everything has to be perfect before the clients can roll in.
Whether you are reinventing your career, your business, your lifestyle or your relationships, you have to take certain steps to effectively make the change happen. Skip a step and you'll probably wind up right back where you started.
That's how people get stuck.
So to get unstuck, you'll have to change your perception. You'll have to develop insight as to where you choose to go, and discover the best way for you to get there.
ReinventionReinvention doesn't mean putting yourself at risk. It means introducing something new into your life. It can be small -- a new routine -- or it can be large -- moving to another part of the world.
IntentionIt starts with an inkling, a small idea that just won't let go. Instead of putting it aside and letting it go, you begin giving it life. You say "what if" and allow it to flow.
AttentionSo you make a plan. You do something to move it forward. You Google it to find out more information. You bring your awareness around it and start to let it grow.
CompetitionThen the problems begin. You get stuck. You're not sure what to do. And with only 24 hours in the day, it's easier to stick with the familiar rather than diving into the unknown. The old familiar television program is easier than taking a class. Drive-thru is a simpler choice then facing the kitchen once again. And no matter how large or small the "competition" may be, it's up to you which task wins in the end.
ConcentrationSo it's back to the drawing board. How can you get unstuck? How can you do one more thing that will matter in your dreams? Getting back on track takes focus on doing the RIGHT things to help you along your way. You have to make a concerted effort to forgo the easy, and focus instead on the things that will get you closer to your goal.
ActionWill you do something necessary to drive it forward? Will you take the chance and risk it all to make it come to life? Small actions every day add up to huge progress over time. Writing just 100 words a day will result in 36,500 words in a year -- a great step towards getting that book written that's been on your list for years.
ReactionBecause with everything you do, you may win or you may lose. You may fail or you may succeed. It's you're reactions that matters most. Don't take your failures as finishes; use them as education. Don't take your losses as reasons to quit; they should guide you to taking one more step with your newfound knowledge.
CompletionEventually you reach your reward. You gain your first client. You move into a house in your new community. You live your first day on your terms. You did it. It's the best feeling in the world.
Perfection And while many choose to put perfection at the top of their list, stopping before anything has a chance to succeed, it's only when you look back that you realize perfection comes in how you'll live today -- not in the details along the way. You perfect over time by doing, not be waiting. You get better by practicing, not by procrastinating.
Be happy. Be content. Because when your perception changes and you say yes instead of no, your world changes drastically.
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