5 Keys to Reinventing Yourself
Looking to make a change? Want to start doing what you love, but don’t know where to start?
I know how you feel. I have been there myself… several times, in fact.
Over the last couple of decades, I have had half a dozen radically different careers and businesses (real estate, television, online media, software, private-equity investing and publishing). Each new venture required a personal reinvention. Let me give you some field-tested advice about how to do it and do it with success!
1 – Leverage Your Strengths
While each endeavor was completely different, one thing was in common with them all—they needed the strengths I had to be successful…
We are ALL born with unique strengths, talents and advantages. There are some things you do that most people cannot do or cannot do as well as you. Those are your special gifts. Identifying these strengths is the first and most important key to your reinvention. Once you identify those for yourself, focus on them, develop them further and there will be no limit as to how successful you can be.
So ask yourself… what do you seem to do better than most everyone else? What comes easily and naturally to you but is something others struggle with? What attribute, skill or ability do people tend to compliment you on?
Resource: Read Discovering Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham in the October issue of SUCCESS
2 – Identify What Exhilarates You
Have you asked yourself the age-old question, “what is your passion”? The answer doesn’t have to be grandiose, Earth-saving, life-changing or revolutionary. It might be something simple. What are the subjects, products, markets, people, activities you really enjoy? What things do you find interesting and stimulating? What fills you with energy just thinking about it? The answers to these questions will usually lead in the direction of a rewarding profession.
Now let’s figure out how to get you in the door of the new profession…
Look down the supply chain of that industry or marketplace. What are the businesses, products, services and vendors involved in that trade? Now, what businesses in that marketplace require the skills, knowledge and expertise that align perfectly with your unique gifts? That is your fit! Either start a business performing that function or present yourself to a business that NEEDS the specific skills and talents you uniquely possess.
Resource: Read Finding Your Purpose by John Maxwell in the August/September issue of SUCCESS or Turning Your Passion Into Profits by Valorie Burton on SUCCESS.com
3 – Be Willing to Take 2 Steps Back
To make the leap into a new industry, you may need to take a step back to learn and study. Be willing to be an apprentice for a while. Find someone who has the success you aspire to and seek their mentorship and council. Be flexible, patient and teachable. Nothing worthwhile comes without effort and paying the price of tuition.
Resource: Read Words of Wisdom from one of the great mentors UCLA legend John Wooden
4 – Be Wary of the Naysayers
Your friends, family and peers have known you as you have been. Change frightens most people. To many, it is especially frightening to watch someone else have the courage to radically reinvent themselves and chase their dreams. Why? Because it eliminates their own excuse for not doing the same. It is much easier to try to talk you out of your reinvention rather than act on their own.
Resource: Read Dealing with Difficult People by Connie Podesta on SUCCESS.com
5 – Build Your Support Team
Find models, mentors and a peer group who share your ambition and will be allies in your new adventure. Also indoctrinate yourself with books, magazines (like SUCCESS!), audio programs and seminars that will support you as you build new skills, attitudes and knowledge in your new adventure.
Resource: Read the 25 Must Read Books for Achievers and 27 Resources for Your Success on SUCCESS.com
Wait no longer; reinvent yourself into the person you were always meant to be. Live the life of your grandest vision! — Darren Hardy
Watch SUCCESS Publisher, Darren Hardy discuss How to Reinvent Yourself on CNBC’s The BIG IDEA with Donny Deutsch — Monday, August 25th 10pm ET, 9pm CT, 7pm PT
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Once again Darren, thank you for posting such an awesome article. 5 Keys to Reinventing Yourself has broadened my mind to so many different ideas on how to be a successfull person. I really admire your work. Please keep it coming!
Rodney M.
N.Y.C.
Awesome advice!!
I’m currently going through the process of reinventing myself and these steps will definetley help me on my new adventure.
Thanks and can’t wait to read your next article,
A. Stockley
I know some managers who take a lateral position and even a demotion to help expand their knowledge so they can take two steps forward later. For freelancers who want to explore a new area (such as writers who want to jump into a different industry to topic), they can build their portfolio by doing work for a nonprofit or for low or no fee.
Meryl
Your input and knowledge on the subject of personal development and motivation is phenomenal. I enjoy reading your articles.
Thank you
Lynn Burchard
After going to the Success Symposium in Anaheim last month, I decided to delve into a new venture that deals with the travel industry. I have started to reinvent myself in so many ways – internally & externally. Thanks for the privilige of such an incredible experience as the Symposium & thank you for an incredible magazine.
Love the article! I’m in transition right now and these steps will help me. I believe in looking right in your industry for options, especially if you like your industry but just need a change from your day to day work. The biggest challenge is letting go of comfort and feeling confident that you are making the right next move.
I’m still searching for what’s next but excited to reinvent myself.
Thank you
I absolutely agree. My decision to move forward with a terrific product idea was not initially met with the enthusiasm I expected, mostly because it moved me away from the image of me that my husband was comfortable and familiar with. This same guy is now my biggest supporter and best cheerleader—mainly because I believe wholeheartedly in my business idea and my ability to achieve it. My advice to all who are reading and relating to this article is to stick to your convictions, surround yourself with other motivated, positive personalities, and do not lose sight of your goal. When you feel yourself faltering, go back to step 1 “identify what exhilarates you” and remind yourself what your ultimate goal is!
Good luck to all!
Corrie Wilder
Managing Partner
GRiPPiES, LLC
http://www.grippiesonline.com
“now you can add a non-slip surface to ANY fabric in less than a minute, with no sewing and no drying time!”
Darren -
One of the Atlanta folks who joined you on The BIG IDEA this evening… thanks for the suggestions and encouragement! I gave the green light to the new engineer to begin version 2 AND I’m spending extra time with my fiance to make sure we’re on the same page.
Thanks again!
Sean
http://www.somethBing.com
[DARREN HARDY] Go for it Sean! Remember, happy wife = happy life. Unhappy wife = Dante’s Inferno
What an awesome thought.
I think we are all scared to make a change from time to time. What an awesome thought that whatever you choose do not have to go with the fear that this might be a lifetime mistake.
We are all learning as we go and whatever you choose to do today can be changed tomorrow. It is your life. Make it what you want it to be.
I have stepped back in my career several times and I must say every step I took forward after this took me miles ahead in my life.
Thanks
great article
Darren,
Excellent post! I wish I had read this months ago when I made the decision to leave the US Navy to work full-time from home; it no doubt would have eased some of the anxiety. I have found tremendous success with my business, but I really resonnated with what you said about taking 2 steps back. It is great to hear you spell out the importance of being coachable and having an open mind to training. Thank you for a great post!
~JT DeBolt
hello: thank you
Darren,
Thank you for the inspirational information! I really enjoy your Blog and your insights, and I am consistently blown away by Success Magazine. The articles and contributors are fantastic, and the information, resources, and wisdom you provide through Success is such a value to your readers. I am also a huge fan of the BIG IDEA with Donny D, and I have enjoyed your contributions there as well. I am on the verge of retiring from law enforcement after 22 years, and start training and consulting full time through my own company, LIES Linguistic Interrogation Expert Services, in addition to other BIG IDEAS I have which I received inspiration from by surrounding myself with such inspirational sources.
Keep up the awesome job!
Wes Clark
http://www.truthsleuth.com
[DARREN HARDY] Thanks for the glowing comments Wes!!
Darren,
Thanks for the encouraging words and steps you mentioned. I started the reinvention process over 7 years ago and I am still evolving. Many people have suggested that I quit and give it up. I chose to follow my own passions and dreams and now the fruits are beginning to explode. Never give up on your dream no matter what anyone says. It is yor dream not theirs.
The take two steps back is what I did a year ago – I went to a company conference and was confused as to how some people were able to grow and I wasn’t. that is when it hit me – I didn’t understand my industry – I took a business course and started to read many books + magazines in my industry and business in general. Many people couldn’t understand what I was doing. I would tell them “I’m not stopping the business I’m just going at it from a differnt angle” I was doing what you call “taking 2 steps back” thanks, now I kow I’m not crazy – my hard work is starting to pay off
[DARREN HARDY] That’s the spirit Catherine!
I HAVE ENJOY MY FIRST ISSUE OF YOUR MAGAZINE AND CD. BUT I HAVE READ AUGUST MAGAZINE. I HAVE READ THE MAJORITY OF THE 25 BOOKS I WILL READ THEM AGAIN OVER AND OVER. I WANT TO LEAVE THIS COMMENT.
NO MAN CAN BE COMPENSATED WITHOUT THE HELPING ANOTHER TO HELP HIMSELF.
[DARREN HARDY] Good for you Tyrone! Keep reading! Link to article Tyrone talks about HERE
Darren!
I know its difficult 2 get ur reply back but i must way the way u present ur writing and knowledge- i am really impressed and dying to meet u in my life.
thanks for everything!!!
[DARREN HARDY] Hello Safal! We can always meet at the next SUCCESS Symposium. Details of the next one to follow. See previous ones here
Darren!
Powerful, simple/easy to read and just what I needed at this time. One of your strengths is definitely communicating your ideas to people using the perfect combination of words!!! Keep up the fabulous work and Jim Rohn is one heck of a silent mentor indeed.
Paul, NL, Canada
http://www.paulwhite.ca
A great message. Thank you for taking your valuable time to construct it for us to enjoy.
It is interesting that every day we take a long hard look into the mirror to help us prepare our external body for presentment into this world. Here, you hold that mirror so that we can peer into and re-arrange those things that are internal to us.
Your insights are extremely valuable as I put efforts forward to move my life and focus into a new industry.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insights with us.
Norm Johnson
http://www.healthychocolatetrends.com
Thank you Darren, for such a great post. Even more so, thank you for writing it in such a positive way. I’m working on reinventing myself right now, and could use all the help I can get.
Drew Maughan
http://www.drewmaughan.com
I have a challenge with co-workers and some supervisors as I attempt to reinvent myself whom by their actions do not believe that I deserve greater success or I’m trying to take something from them when all I’ve after is improvement to justify a higher level of compensation so as to reach some of the personal goals that I have set for myself. My method thus far has been to work hard and try to ignore them but they still go to my superiors with false information, gossip about me yet still smile in my face, and do not include me in some of the office activities. I am not good at office politics and is in need of your advice. It gets discouraging at times to have to constantly “fight” each day just to do the best job I know how to do. Even being nice and approachable has not helped. How am I to handle my critics
without seeming like a victom?
After retiring from a career as a firefighter, I took a hobby (screen printing), turned it into a hobby business, then a full time business. (Now I have to find another Hobby)
I went from uniforms at work, and bluejeans on my off days, to suits, sport coats, Chamber of commerce events, and am still in the process of evolving as a business man. Reinventing yourself is not impossible, and I’m a work in progress.
Thanks.
Thank you!
I went through a similar process to the 5 keys about a few years ago, due to some events that happened. It is still ongoing
and one lesson I learnt is that if you do not reinvent yourself, then you will be drifting along. Great article !
TEST
[DARREN HARDY] Yes, Kevin – the comment function works.
Steve McCullough reading your comments is like looking into a mirror. I am in the same boat, but I refuse to give up. You will always have obstacles and adversaries.
This is what I choose to do each day when I go into the office and hopefully it will help:
One – I choose to stay positive no matter what by encouraging myself through books, this magazine, the CDs, and having friends who know who I am.
Two – Keep my focus. I do my best to never forget that I am in my current position to gain experience and learn as much as I can so I can go to the next level as fast as I can. Every couple of months I weigh my experience against my work environment to make sure the experience I’m gaining outweighs the adversity I am experiencing. If it does I keep going, but if it ever gets to a point where it consistently does not. Then I am looking for a new position that will continue to give me my experience.
Three – I review my goals I want to accomplish daily in order to not loose track or get distracted from drama within the office. It changes my perspective and re-focuses me every time.
Four – I choose to believe that I am not a victim and I tell myself that I am not only going to survive but I am going to thrive in this work environment and with my co-workers no matter what. I see it as an opportunity to be observant and master how to work with difficult people. I have probably had more failures than success this past year in my interactions with them, but I have gained a lot of knowledge on how to deal in similar circumstances which is very valuable and something that can not be taken away.
I truly believe this experience is preparing me for something greater…..
It’s hard. Stay strong and stay focused.
Good luck!
Where can I get back issues of success magazine?
Thank you very much Darren!
Currently, I am at that point in my life where I can still make the choice to return or keep going, and this article has really helped to stop resisting change and embrace reinvention as part of the process to achieve my dreams and goals!