Thursday, September 19, 2013

REINVENTING YOURSELF


“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.” (Heraclitus) Change is all around us. It is inevitable in nature. It is inevitable in our professional lives and it is inevitable in our personal lives. There are circumstances that require minor changes and some that require substantial changes. In the recent economic conditions, numerous local business owners have been put out of business. Tears were shed when they dissolved their corporations, packed up their life’s work and closed their doors for the final time. I have also personally witnessed businessmen and women who were laid off and forced to seek employment in new areas. The lingering effects can be stressful and most of all, painful. It is painful to marriages, families, personal finances, and even to your personal sense of pride and self-esteem. As time passed however, they reinvented themselves on a professional level. Some have gone back to school, some have taken up new careers and others have relocated where opportunity can still be found in their line of work. With this professional reinvention, comes a tremendous amount of change. There is a tendency during change to focus on the negative, to focus on all that was lost or the extra job/ hours you’ve had to pick up. With change however, there comes a great deal of positive things too. In order to find a new sense of happiness and purpose in life, I find it essential to focus on the positive. Focus on the things that really matter in life such as your loved ones, your faith and helping others.

While I was in law school, I struggled tremendously with finances, with raising my family, with being a wife, with finding part-time work at night, not to mention passing law school and all of it’s requirements (and I was an older student…). It was really hard, but I knew reinventing myself professionally was absolutely necessary. I knew I had to accomplish the goal ahead. During my struggles, reaching my goals seemed to get further and further away. There were times in which it was just simply too hard. In seeking comfort from my sister, I was given some really good advice and it was one of the most effective pieces of advice I have ever received. My sister told me, “Do not look ahead and do not look around you. Do not plan for tomorrow. Just focus on today. What do you have to do in order to just simply make it through today?” My professional reinvention was made ONE step at a time, not two, just one. There was a finish line, I did make it and life improved greatly upon completion. During that season of transformation however, it was just simply, one day at a time.

When reinventing oneself after tragedy such as the loss of a loved one or divorce, I would offer the same advice. While struggling in the transformation to your new life, just remember to ask yourself: “What do I have to do in order to just simply make it through today?” Such reinventions often require financial changes, lifestyle changes, family changes and even changes in friendships. There is always the tendency to focus on the negative, but instead force yourself to focus on the positive. The old life is gone and the new life is approaching. Don’t fall apart in your process of transformation. Turn your situation into a personal expedition to form a new life. Don’t be afraid to make changes and look for the positive. Create a new and exciting life, one day at a time. Before you know it, your process of transitioning from the old life to the new life will be finished and you won’t be able to imagine your life any different.