Thinking About Reinvention, Pivoting, or Starting Over?
I don’t write about the state of the world very often, but I think about it every day. Our world has turned upside during 2020 due to the pandemic worldwide and the politics and economy in the United States and everyone has been affected to one degree or another. Perhaps you are thinking about a pivot or a change or a full reinvention. I did that when I came online in 2006, and the world wasn’t even in a mess. I was ready to change my life. What about you? What are you thinking and which direction are you headed as we move into the new year? Whether you have reinvention, pivoting, or starting over on your mind, here are some things to think about.
Time is On Your Side
I think of the song “Time is on My Side” that the Rolling Stones covered in 1964. It’s about a young man who was willing to wait for the girl he loved to return to him. In the lyrics penned by songwriter Jerry Ragovoy the story is a simple one; if you are willing to wait for what you want there is an excellent chance you will get it.
How does this apply to the life of an entrepreneur and author? My experience is that if you are willing to do the work each day you will build a “body of work” that others can’t deny. Instead of talking about making it happen, and coming up with valid excuses for not taking action, you will be able to share your work with the world and build a base of raving fans.
Live in Gratitude
I wrote recently about wearing earrings outside of my house for the first time in eight months because of the pandemic and wearing a mask while we are out. One evening I took my favorite pair for a walk and appreciated them more than I ever had before. Sometimes we have to take a step back to be grateful for what is right in front of us. I am grateful for having the strength to write every single day since 2006 in order to turn myself into a writer.
I’m currently rereading a book from my childhood and this is a quote from Carbonel, the main character:
“I came in gratitude. That will be stronger than any spell.”
Carbonel is a talking cat that comes into the life of a young girl, teaching her about believing in magic and in possibilities and gratitude.
Habits are Worth Cultivating
Where do you stand on the topic of habits? Long ago I thought of habits as requiring too much discipline, but the fact is that being disciplined works! When I wanted to start writing to build my online business in 2007, I got into the habit of writing every single day. Now I have published over two million words in the form of more than three thousand blog posts, hundreds of short reports, and more than twenty full-length, non-fiction books.
More recently, I added the habit of eating fewer hours each day as a part of my intermittent fasting practice. The results have been phenomenal. Once you create a habit your life has new possibilities and direction.
Constraints Allow for Creativity
Did you know the popular book Green Eggs and Ham, written by Theodor Geisel in 1960 started out as a bet between him and his publisher at Random House? The publisher was named Bennett Cerf and the author became known as Dr. Seuss to the world.
The bet set forth by Cerf was that Geisel could not write an entertaining children’s book using no more that 50 different words. Geisel took the bet and the book was published later that same year. Having the constraint of only being able to choose from fifty words of his choosing was not an easy task, but it was a relatively simple one. He played around with different words, selecting ones like “the” and “and” and “is” to begin with. Then he went for nouns and adverbs and began to write. Obviously, Theodor Geisel (AKA Dr. Suess) won the bet and the world is a better place because of his writing and his personal reinvention during this time.
Accountability is Personal
I don’t believe in having an accountability partner. I came to this conclusion after several years of doing this with colleagues once or twice a week. The practice blocked my creativity flow and just left me with a feeling that it wasn’t a good use of my time. Accountability is personal, so be accountable to yourself throughout each day.
The ideas of reinvention, pivoting, and starting over are ones worth exploring. I have engaged in these throughout my lifetime and recommend them wholeheartedly. Here’s to your reinvention into a lifestyle that serves you well!
I’m bestselling USA Today and Wall Street Journal author, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.
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