Leonard Sweet
 

In order to progress we need to change, we need to explore new dimensions and follow new paths. When everything around us keeps changing we can’t afford to remain the same. By doing so we would be condemning ourselves to stagnation and hence to failure.

As human beings, we all clamour for something new, something different in order to stay interested. Anything new is a novelty that provokes interest and keeps us engaged. Imagine doing the same task again and again, day after day, year after year – after a while it becomes mechanical and totally uninteresting, our involvement in it decreases and ultimately we don’t do it properly. On the other hand, if we have even a slight change or modification in the task, our interest revives and we can do it with renewed energy.

World likes to see a new you

Similarly the world also likes to see a new-look  you from time to time. Not only in terms of outer appearance but also in the way you carry yourself, your work your activities, new skills that you develop etc. It is just the way products are repackaged to present a new look in keeping with the times. Company logs and other identities are tweaked to make them in line with current trends. We to should reinvent ourselves in keeping with the times

This is what I mean when I say you should be reinventing yourself regularly, at least once each year. It can be more often than that but definitely at least once a year. Find new pursuits, new hobbies, new interests, new friends, new relationships. Do things you have not done before – you may like them, you may not,  but unless you try you will not know what you may be missing out on. You will make some mistakes but who does not make mistakes? And each time you make a mistake, you learn something new.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone

Take risks, challenge yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you want to grow–if you want to break the cycle of stagnation–then you have to make that comfort zone uncomfortable. It is only when you go beyond defined boundaries that you feel exhilarated and full of positive energy. You find yourself ready to take on more, do more, and enjoy more.

Do this in your personal life and also in your work life. Offer to do new assignments, offer to do more than your share, try your hand in a new department, get additional training, learn new skills. Find ways to explore new opportunities beyond your traditional walls.

Have some “me-time” by yourself to figure out

In order to successfully reinvent yourself you may need to have some “me-time” by yourself to figure out next steps. It is time well spent. Making changes and finding new ways to do things or finding new things to do is hard. But it is also the path to moving ahead, the route to bettering your life, the means to find a new passion, a new interest that will keep you motivated and engaged.

If nothing changes, then nothing changes. If you want to find growth, you need to look for it in new places–places you haven’t been before. You need to change the dynamics of the situation you are in currently. You have to change the status quo and create a new you. And remember that change begins with you. As Leo Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” So be the change you want to see and reinvent yourself to create a better world.