Have you met your strategic goals for 2012? 2011? 2010? Have you experienced
recession, bankruptcy or downsizing? With the end of 2012 rapidly
approaching, planning personal and professional goals for 2013 has become a
priority for people in business and entrepreneurship. The fourth quarter of
the year is the best time to reflect on the progress of your career or
business; in planning for professional and personal goals for 2013, honesty
is key.
The takeaway? When your strategies aren't working, the goal must be to
figure out something new. This may be the time to reinvent yourself for the
upcoming year. When you reinvent, you have reached a point when
repositioning and re-strategizing haven't worked and it's time to create a
new version of yourself. This is the point when the artist throws out the
original canvas and starts again on a new canvas.
Reinventing yourself is when you come to realize that the person you are,
the career you are in, or the business you lead, no longer fits with your
future. These are the times when you must reassess who you are and what you
are doing, come to terms with the things that aren't working, and completely
reinvent.
If you reach the point where you feel you must reinvent yourself or
your business, consider these three key strategies:
Start with a clean slate.
Trying to hold onto certain strategies that may have worked for you in the
past is the surest way to prevent a reinvention. Avoid the tendency to want
to drift back into previous strategies. Create a new you. Start off with the
mindset that the old you doesn't exist anymore. Imagine yourself as a
student fresh out of college. Remember the way you felt back then? You were
a clean slate and a world of possibility stood before you. That's how you
should think of yourself now. Nothing you have done to this point happened
or matters. All that matters is what you will do with the new you.
Decide what you want to be.
Remember, that thing you want to be can't be the same as it once was. You're
a new you. This is a tough reality to grasp because most of us spend so many
years dreaming about achieving that one given thing. When it doesn't work
out, it's tough to let go of the old dream. But here, we're coming up with a
new you, and that new you must do some soul-searching to determine what the
best new path might be.
What are the honest strengths you bring to the table? Consider shaping your
strengths into a branding approach that you admire. What are the brands you
value most? Is there anything about you that matches up with that brand?
Get out and take action.
With most things in life, the first step is always the toughest. When you reinvent, that first step tends to be even tougher. You are, after all,
dispelling everything you've ever done to this point and doing something
completely different. That can be scary. Terrifying even. But don't let your
fear cause you to drag your feet. Don't stall. Don't wait. Get out there and
take action!
The important thing to remember is that you're not the first person to
reinvent yourself. Keep that in mind when it comes time to go back to the
drawing board and you will be in better position to make the honest,
accurate, and appropriate decisions that will lead to greater success in the
future.