6 Steps to Reinvent Yourself

In my quest to find my true self over the last 10+ years, I’ve realized that there is a TON of self help courses, books, and even “big events”… that could be considered fluff.

People (including myself) buy into these programs thinking that they’ll get the exact same results as the thought leader.

If that thought leader regularly travels the world, they’ll get that opportunity if they blindly follow their advice. Sounds, good, right?

Well, maybe.

On top of finding your personal mission (where you’re at) you need to do a real study of where you want to be, as well.

You don’t want to try and obtain something you don’t want, right?

I mean, can you imagine changing your life for “the better” only to realize that the place you’ve arrived in life is nothing like you thought it was going to be?

I can’t imagine it’d be too easy to go back to your “old life” at that point.

So after you’ve spent the time figuring out who are and the options you have – how do you actually choose a path that won’t be a complete waste of your time?

How to Reinvent Yourself

Once you have your personal mission figured out (which is like finding out where you are on a map), you need to find out where you want to be in life (your destination). The catch is that this destination needs to be a place that you’re committing yourself to not only arrive at, but live at.

Why? Because once you put in the work to become that new person and you’re actually successful – it’s hard to go back to your old comfortable self.

So that said, just like you might consider spending a vacation to get to know a new locale, you might want to spend some time seeing if this new big work and life change is what you really want to do.

 

1. Connect with those who are already doing what you want to do.

In the 9 to 5 job world, it’s easy for us to see ourselves moving up. We see what our supervisors do and think “I could do that better than them!”.

In the entrepreneurial space, however, it’s a bit harder to imagine yourself in that space because we don’t have that regular connection with people who are already doing something.

Seek these folks out.

 

2. Get some time with these folks and ask Useful Questions

It’s well known that if you want to make a change in the 9 to 5 world, you want to get some time with someone who works where you want to be. You wouldn’t ask them, “how do I start working for XYZ Company?”. Instead, you’d say, “I’m thinking about a career change and I was wondering about a few things when it comes to working for XYZ. For one, do I start from the ground up or should I develop my skills elsewhere?”, “What’s it like working there?”, etc.

Likewise, if you’re looking to start a fitness coach business, for example, you should find 3 or 4 people who are already successful fitness coaches. Then ask them a list of questions that are important to you.

Find out what their daily routine is. How do they meet with their clients? How long did it take to get to their level of success?

Heck, if it’s someone you know, you might even ask them how they came to the rates they charge their clients.

 

3. Don’t Go for the Feel Good Answers

When you’re asking these questions, you need to be going for the right answers. Don’t let your thoughts and emotions cloud your perspective of the truth.

Also, if the people you’re talking to can’t answer the questions you have on your list, then you might need to find another person or two to ask.

As you’re getting these answers, you should be coming up with a clearer picture of what it would be like to be in this new role. The more research you do, the more you’ll find out if it’s right or wrong for you. Be transparent with yourself.

 

4. Know the length of your runway.

Once you’ve determined that you’re ok with this new role and everything that goes with it, you’ll need to start thinking about the transition time. It could take you 6 months to ramp up, it could take you 3 years.

How much are your expenses per month? If you’re floating under $2000/mo budget to pay your bills, do you have the 12 grand you need for the six months? Maybe you’re on the larger side of that. How can you allocate $72k for next 3 years?

 

5. Make a Plan

Once you’ve done the research in figuring if you want the life and how you’re going to arrive there, actually write it down. Write it in a way as if you were telling someone else. You want a ton of details.

If you do it this way, you’ll have more checkpoints, but you’ll have a better chance of arriving where you want to go.

Also, don’t worry about all the fluff that people say you should have. This means vision boards, business plans, mission statements, etc.

If you really need them, they can come later. Right now you need to focus on the step-by-step method of how you’re going to reach your next level.

 

6. Get Accountability

For the most part, if we want to change something in our lives, most of us need external motivation to keep things going. Chances are, you’ll eventually deviate from our intended path.

However, if you have that person that helps you keep your times lines and projects in check, you’ll significantly improve your ability to achieve them.

You don’t see professional athletes having success without a small army of support. So why would you want to try something you’ve not achieved by yourself?

 

Action Steps

So if you haven’t already, the first thing you should consider doing is finding out what your personal mission is. Luckily I have a resource for you to do just that.

After you spend the time to go through it and do the exercises in it, you’re ready to start talking to people in the field you want to be on.

Best place for that, of course, is social media. LinkedIn used to be the only place to connect with people who could help you like this. But, if Facebook is where your network is, use it!

Then, as you let them know what you’re thinking of doing, see if they’d be willing to talk to you about how they got to where they are. You can ask them for a specific online meeting OR you can just ask them through messages over time. Personally, I’m a fan of actually talking with someone.

Also, be sure to check out Damion Lupo and Christofer Ashby’s book Reinvented Life, and my upcoming interview with Damion himself if you want more information on this subject!