We are reluctantly evolving beings. Creatures of habit. But, there comes a time, even with the most stubborn among us, to shift gears and turn the wheel. Sometimes, that new direction feels dramatic and revolutionary – into unfamiliar and uncertain territory. Other times, the change is subtle and feels almost “corrective” – like staying in your lane. And, of course, there are all points in-between. For me, I felt the need to re-invent myself. Nothing major, just a slight update . . . Mike Pascarella 2.0, if you will. Cool, right? Well, sometimes new versions attempting to fix bugs and introduce features can introduce new bugs – or worse yet – crash the entire system.
So why reinvent myself? And why should you consider such a risky move? And besides, what was wrong with us in the first place? Friends, the world changes around us. The cones in the road are constantly moving. we can either go full speed ahead and mow them all down, or we can be skillful and learn how to re-navigate. We can also change where those cones are (perhaps that should be addressed in another article), or even change the road entirely. It’s up to you. But there are no guarantees when you reinvent yourself. It might feel like a win, or maybe it will not . . . but one thing’s for sure . . . it will be change. What about the alternative? You are guaranteed to become stuck and static.
In business, if you’re static and not sensitive to what’s around you (and whether your trajectory is in harmony with it), you are on the wrong course. Time to turn that wheel. If you don’t, either the world will turn on a dime and start following you (unlikely) or you will be left behind offering products and services fewer and fewer people want. Of course, you can ignore that last comment and set out to change the world – but you’d better have a war-chest of cash set aside just in case. My point is, observing and understanding the world around us is smart and can be the source of a well thought-out and calculated change of plans. But that approach comes from a fairly adaptive standpoint. What about a more personal and proactive approach? What about choosing an entirely different road?
Sometimes, we’re looking for a profound change . . . something new . . . maybe an about-face into something we are passionate or confident about. What if you are seeing seismic shifts in the market place – or a huge opportunity elsewhere? What if you are burned out and need a change of scenery? These are also great reasons to reinvent yourself. And you can do it at any age. How many times have I heard people say that they’re too old to reinvent themselves to any degree . . . or that it’s too late to shift gears? That’s nonsense. Even if you have a single day left on this earth – you owe it to yourself to follow your passions, dreams, and to do what makes you happy. And when you are in that space, you are much more likely to make the commitment needed for success.
So, why is it so hard to step up to change? Because it’s hard to admit that we’ve either made a wrong turn at one point, or the road changed and we were not aware enough to respond in kind. In other words, it can feel like admitting a misstep. But look at it this way, all of the roads we chose got us to where we are now. And that road may have been the perfect place for you at that time . . . and now it’s the perfect place to regroup, rethink, and re-launch a new-and-improved version 2.0. No regrets, just a reboot. How many times can we reinvent ourselves? How many versions can there be? It’s unlimited, my friends. That’s what our personal evolution is all about. If we don’t continue to evolve – we become static and eventually stagnant.
MP