Just to be clear- this is not a ‘new year- new you’ thing. This is all about being the best version of yourself that you want to be. Not your mom’s version, or your boss’s, or your partner’s. It is about finding that fire in you to be who you would like to be. Here is the steps, it might help to write them down and reflect during the process. You may move back in the steps as you go, just remember to be stay mindful.
#1 What do you really want to change? Is it your environment, sense of self, social interactions, career- you should not be running from yourself but rather becoming a better version of you.
#2 What do you want to keep? Are you kind, have good attention to detail, a creative mindset? Write out a whole and hearty list. Everyone has aspects that are wonderful and we want to keep those aspects.
#3 Be honest with yourself. Possible to hardest step of them all- you need to be able to look at yourself in a rational, objective way. It is time to face your fears and stop justifying your poor decisions.
#4 Time to dive in. Get out of your comfort zone and get moving on the better you! We are looking for minor movements at this point because we still have a lot of steps to go. But it is important that we starting now with improvements instead of building them up and possibly making them seem impossible. Baby steps here.
#5 Find a mentor. You may be asking- “why is this step 5 and not 2?” Because when looking for a mentor you need to know what you are looking for. This person does not need to be someone you can interact with, just someone you would like to be like. Write these aspects down. You can also have a few mentors, so write down what you like about each individual.
#6 Learn. Educate yourself in the areas you lack. This can be a traditional subject that helps your career or a hobby/skill that you find interesting. Want to become a Dungeon Master in Dungeons & Dragons? Read up. Don’t downplay hobbies or skill sets here because these are the things that enrich life.
#7 Experiment. Try a few of these new skills out. Note the aspects that went well and those that need a little more practice. This is get your hands dirty time. Don’t be afraid to dive in and really test yourself.
#8 Surround yourself with reminders. Where do you want to be? By this step you should have a rough idea of the end goal, so now is the time to make sure you are regularly reminded of it. Journaling, a vision board, or like minded people around you are great reminders of where you want to be. Make sure you interact with these reminders at least once a day.
#9 One a day. Do one thing a day moves you in the direction you are looking to go. Your goals start now and each small step in the right direction makes your goals a little closer. So if you want to be a doctor for example; start looking into schools researching the profession, or find a small internship. Every step moving forward is important.
#10 Embrace setbacks. No matter how well you have set yourself up, you are going to fail. It never feels good, but it is important in the process of learning. So set up a protocol when you do fail. Take some time to lick your wounds, take time to analyze what happened, and then redirect yourself back onto your new and improved path. Failure is a part of success.
My Challenge to you: Reinventing oneself is a baby step journey. You can not expect to turn into this person overnight. And you may even realize once you are 80% there that you have a slight change of plans. So be kind to yourself, reassess often, and build your confidence as you go. Because you are wonderful and only getting better.
Happy reinventing friends!
– Jessie the Therapist
Photo by; Jelena Ardila Vetrovec
