Dare to... Reinvent Yourself

“Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself, don’t swim in the same slough. Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself and stay out of the clutches of mediocrity. Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself, change your tone and shape so often that they can never categorize you. Reinvigorate yourself and accept what is but only on the terms that you have invented and reinvented. Be self-taught. And reinvent your life because you must; it is your life and its history and the present belong only to you.”  ~ Charles Bukowski 

Reinvention means to change. It means taking something that's already here and making it look brand new.  It always amazes me when I meet people who are resistant to change. In many ways, that’s like being resistant to life itself. You see, life is in real time and by definition, that involves change. Many people go through a reinventions several times over their lives... leaving a job or a relationship, moving, losing a loved one, all signs that a change is needed, all major shifting in one's life, over time. We have to take control of who we will become or risk never reaching our full potential. But you have to choose reinvention.  You have to be willing to reinvent yourself.  Sometime the road isn't clear, but you may have to forge a new path deliberately and with vision. Don't just sit and wait for your future to find you because you could be waiting in vain, sadness and depression could set in or you could get tangled up in a bad situation.

You know you need to make some changes.  You know it's time, but you're having so much trouble moving forward partly because you have no idea what it is you want to move towards. You're stuck thinking about your past, when you should be thinking about your future. When you realize you're the master of your fate, and the captain of your soul, then you'll know that you and only you can control your future, instead of letting the pain of your past control you.  Here are three simple, but effective steps to help you reinvent yourself.

The Inner Path: No Need For Disappointments

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

You're disappointed, again.  You failed your exam, your favorite sports team lost, you dropped your iPad, your heel broke.  Let's face it, your expectations were unfulfilled and the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows begins to manifest. You're angry, sad, hurt and fearful. You don't take disappointments well.  You just don't know how to deal with it and want to give in.  But don't let disappointments take a toll on you.  As the great poet and lecturer Dr. Maya Angelou says,  “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” So just how do you overcome disappointments? Know that disappointment is temporal and hope is eternal.

• Disappointment is temporal.  It is what it is. It happened.  But know that every disappointment, however real it may be to you, is temporary and can always be overcome in time, along with the hurt, the fear, and the pain that accompanies it. Only your thought about it is permanent. So change your mind about what has disappointed you and you will change your life.  
• Hope is eternal.  There is always hope. Hope erases doubts, clears your vision and makes you far sighted. Hope promotes the belief in a good outcome of events in your life and that things will turn out for the best.  Hope always returns, continually.
  Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning is from a quote offering hope.
  

No disappointment is permanent and hope can sometimes persuade you to haste across the finish line even when you are tempted to give up. When there is hope there is life, for hope is the oxygen that fuels the spirit.  Hope infuses courage and provides you the momentum to keep moving forward.  However, no one or nothing is perfect and remember we would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. So remember this, there's no need for disappointment, even in the midst of it.... it is what it is.