Have you ever found yourself yearning for the opportunity to completely transform who you are?
In this article, I delve into the concept of reinventing ourselves and explore its significance in our lives.
Why Do We Reinvent Ourselves So Often?
Have you ever stopped to ponder why we have this incessant desire to reinvent ourselves? Why do we constantly crave a fresh start?
The truth is, we are beings in a perpetual state of evolution.
We strive to change, grow, and progress in our lives. We seek new approaches, acquire wisdom, expand our knowledge, and cultivate meaningful relationships at different stages of our journey.
Each time we embark on these transformative phases, we engage in a process of self-reinvention. Ultimately, we step into something that feels more aligned for where we are in our life.
Often, this urge to reinvent ourselves stems from a deep sense of unease. We feel like something’s off. Something’s not quite right.
“I need to acquire new skills or find alternative ways to present myself.”
“My body is undergoing changes, and I must reassess how I care for it and connect with it.”
“My relationships are shifting.”
Usually, a transition or trigger sets these thoughts in motion. It could be a divorce, a new marriage, graduating from college and stepping into the real world, entering the phase of an empty-nester or motherhood, purchasing your first home, or relocating to a different town.
Life unfolds in countless ways, and it’s during these transitional moments that we realize the need to reinvent ourselves.
Perhaps we find ourselves saying, “I’m moving to a new town, and I yearn to build genuine friendships and a supportive community. I must show up differently, breaking free from past patterns of people-pleasing.”
Or we might admit, “I’ve become too reclusive, too much of a hermit. How can I redefine myself and actively engage with others? What steps do I need to take to make this transformation a reality?”
Asking these types of questions sends us on the path to make changes and reinvent ourselves.
The 4 Stages We’ll Go Through to Reinvent Ourselves
I want to delve into the profound concept of self-reinvention by exploring the four stages that shape our transformation—a journey that allows us to birth a new expression of our being.
Whenever I offer a program, course, or product, I always refer to it as a journey. It is not a quick fix or a magic pill, but rather a transformative expedition.
In order to reinvent ourselves, we must embark on this journey—a journey comprised of four stages that spiral around, repeating themselves whenever we seek to show up differently in response to the evolving circumstances of our lives.
Remember Who You Are
The first stage is the act of remembering who we are.
Although one might question the necessity of revisiting this stage multiple times, the truth is that each cycle of remembrance unveils different facets of our being. For instance, the experience of raising teenage children can trigger memories of our own tumultuous teenage years—a time of discomfort and unease. As we reflect on our past, we come to realize that much of what we believed about ourselves was merely a collection of stories and perceptions.
Through this process of remembering, we awaken to the empowered, wise being that resides within us.
We start to step into that and say, “These are the gifts that I have. These are the beautiful strengths and talents I can share in the world, and this is who I really am.“ We begin to redefine and remember the truth of who we are.
Reconnect with What Matters
Then as we remember, we start to reconnect in new ways.
It’s important to establish fresh connections with our values, which inevitably shift as we enter new phases of life. The values we hold while starting a family will likely differ from those we embrace as empty-nesters. Our sense of purpose and calling evolves throughout our journey, and reconnecting to these core values becomes essential.
After remembering more of who we are, and knowing ourselves better at that stage, we want to reconnect to the values we have, what we really care about most, and what’s uniquely ours to do.
These cycles connect with the seasons. The first stage is the Spring. This is the concept of new life coming up, the sprout showing up, and that’s the remembering stage. Then the Summer is the ripening stage. This is where the sap is rising in the trunks of the trees, and we’re connecting into the flow with our values, our care and our sense of purpose. We’re ripening in the Summer sun. We are Nature, not just a part of it, so we will experience changes in much the same way Nature does throughout the cycle of the seasons.
We can remember, reconnect, and do the other stages of reinvention at any time of the year. There are many micro cycles of this, but it’s fun to think of them in terms of the seasons.
Re-Envision New Possibilities
The third stage, associated with Autumn, is re-envisioning.
Once we’ve remembered who we truly are and reconnected with our values, our vision for ourselves naturally transforms.
The vision we hold as we enter motherhood, for example, will differ significantly from the vision we have as our children move out and we approach retirement. This stage is where we long to be able to gather the fruit of what we’ve been working with and ripening in our lives.
Rebirth / Reinvent Yourself
Finally, the fourth stage is akin to Winter—a stage of rebirth.
While many may associate rebirth with Spring, I find solace in the idea of a Spirit Seed planted within us during what I refer to as the Sacred Nights of Winter, which is when I offer my annual Sacred Nights of Winter Journal, and we do this deep dive and look at what’s living within us. It’s a period where reflection and introspection take precedence, and we have the opportunity to delve deep within ourselves. We examine the past year, envision the year ahead, and tune in to the essence that resides within us. During this profound introspection, we have the opportunity to experience rebirth.
Drawing upon our remembrance, reconnection, and re-envisioning, we reinvent ourselves, allowing the new seed within us to flourish.
Reinventing Ourselves Won’t Happen Overnight: The 4 Steps Are Necessary
Reinventing ourselves is a journey that unfolds gradually. It’s not a sudden, overnight transformation. It begins with the planting of a seed, and that seed must grow and undergo the cycle once again. We remember more of who we are, ripen further, and harvest even more fruits along the way.
This is the true process of reinvention. Reinventing ourselves demands patience and depth, delving beneath the surface of superficial changes.
Our culture often perpetuates the idea of instantly recreating ourselves, but that approach lacks substance. It’s important to recognize that real reinvention requires a willingness to embark on this transformative journey, to nurture ourselves throughout it, and to align with the life we aspire to create.
There’s so much more to explore on this topic. My Solace program delves deeply into these concepts, an online program dedicated to women’s empowerment, with abundant opportunities for further exploration and growth.
For a video version of, How To Reinvent Yourself In 4 Steps, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cJbCXyjuk
