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Time to Reinvent Yourself?

Published Tuesday Nov 27, 2012

Author Dr. R. Kay Green

Have you met your strategic goals for 2012? 2011? 2010? Have you experienced Recession, Bankruptcy, or Downsizing? With 2012 now behind us, planning personal and professional goals for 2013 has become a priority for people in business and entrepreneurship. The fourth quarter of the previous year is the best time to reflect on the progress of your career or business. And, remember, when planning professional and personal goals for 2013, be honest.

When your strategies aren't working, you must figure out something new. This may be the time to reinvent yourself for the upcoming year, because, when you reinvent, you have reached a point when repositioning and re-strategizing haven't worked and it's time to create a new version of yourself. This is the point when the artist throws out the original canvas and starts again on a new canvas.

Reinventing yourself is when you come to realize that the person you are, the career you are in, or the business you lead, no longer fits with your future. These are the times when you must reassess who you are and what you are doing, come to terms with the things that aren't working, and completely reinvent.

If you reach the point where you feel you must reinvent yourself or your business, consider these three key strategies:

  • Start with a clean slate.

Trying to hold onto certain strategies that may have worked for you in the past is the surest way to prevent a reinvention. Avoid the tendency to want to drift back into previous strategies. Create a new you. Start off with the mindset that the old you doesn't exist anymore. Imagine yourself as a student fresh out of college. Remember the way you felt back then? You were a clean slate and a world of possibility stood before you. That's how you should think of yourself now. Nothing you have done to this point happened or matters. All that matters is what you will do with the new you.

  • Decide what you want to be.

Remember, that thing you want to be can't be the same as it once was. You're a new you. This is a tough reality to grasp because most of us spend so many years dreaming about achieving that one given thing. When it doesn't work out, it's tough to let go of the old dream. But here, we're coming up with a new you, and that new you must do some soul-searching to determine what the best new path might be.

What are the honest strengths you bring to the table? Consider shaping your strengths into a branding approach that you admire. What are the brands you value most? Is there anything about you that matches up with that brand?

  • Get out and take action.

With most things in life, the first step is always the toughest. When you reinvent, that first step tends to be even tougher. You are, after all, dispelling everything you've ever done to this point and doing something completely different. That can be scary. Terrifying even. But don't let your fear cause you to drag your feet. Don't stall. Don't wait. Get out there and take action!

The important thing to remember is that you're not the first person to reinvent yourself. Keep that in mind when it comes time to go back to the drawing board and you will be in better position to make the honest, accurate, and appropriate decisions that will lead to greater success in the future.

Dr. R. Kay Green is CEO and president of RKG Marketing Solutions, a professor of marketing and author of the new book, I've Been Called the B* Word Now What Do I Do? 13 Rules for the New-Age Professional Woman; www.ivebeencalledthebword.com.

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