Madonna is an iconic figure and stellar entrepreneur.
Whether or not you like her music, her style, or how she goes about getting the attention she does, there's one thing for sure: she's always known how to break the rules of her industry, tread her own path, and dare to reinvent herself time and time again.
Madonna teaches us the power of reinvention: and that is the power we're diving into today.
The power of reinvention takes two forms:
1. Daring to take risks
2. Daring to Change what you do, and how you do it.
Let's start with the power of daring to take risks:
Often in business we want to stay on the safe line. The safe line is where we won't get too much backlash. We don't reveal too much, we don't swear, we don't say something that might offend, we keep it safe.
We keep it safe not because that's what our heart and soul believes but because it's what we think is safe and will help us gather the clients and business foundation we need to flourish.
And yet everything ends up being a little lackluster.
Inside there's a passion burning, a voice that wants to be heard, a message that wants to be spoken, but we scale it back... Back to the Safe Zone.
It makes sense that we do this (at first.) Our psyche's need for stability thrives on it.
We want to be liked, accepted, seen as good -- these are all basic human needs: evolutionarily speaking, it's the need to be accepted by the tribe.
But at some point we lose our voice, our message, and there's nothing new or novel that can be said. We fade away because we never allowed our self to shine.
The alternative? Dare to reinvent yourself by taking a risk.
Start saying what you believe, speak in your own language, quit trying to sound "proper" and start saying the things that your heart is begging to release.
This doesn't mean being rude for the sake of being rude -- actually that's the opposite of coming from your inner power. But it means, if a little raw sarcasm slips out, because that's what you've been frustrated by and you want to start the conversation about something in your industry that just isn't right -- then speak out.
Speak out with grace, yet don't hold back.
Dare to take a risk.
The second lesson: Dare to Change.
Look, Madonna went from white-blond to hot-red to midnight-black. She never cared if she would "look right" with the new shade, she just went for it, dared to reinvent the look.
And this is the second lesson for today:
If your business has been under a style that you're bored of, tired of, doesn't quite feel like you: reinvent it.
It might mean a new logo, a new tagline, a new color scheme, a whole new website-look, all new copy. Whatever it is -- let yourself shine and dare to reinvent.
If you're no longer happy with your offerings, programs, how you're working with clients, then trash it, and dare to reinvent how you're doing business.
Give yourself the freedom to try on a new shade. Give yourself permission to take on a new role. Maybe you always did 1-on-1 coaching, and you're ready to try group coaching, or teach a workshop or lead a retreat. Dare to change how you do what you do.
You know business is not just about the financial risk, it's also about the risk of time and heart energy that you put into something.
If there's something you've been dying to create, but scared it won't get published/purchased/seen -- but you really really want to create it because you think it would be fun and the creation process will help you come alive -- then do it!
I'm amidst creating a whole new program called Write Your Site, it's to help entrepreneurs write up the copy/content for their website in a way that expresses who they are and will attract the right people to their business. Do I have any idea if this program will flourish? No. But it's a risk.
It's a creative risk to create when you have no idea of the end result. But this is part of what business is all about: taking risks. (P.S. - To get first dibs on when I run the course, and some exclusive freebies that I'll roll out as the course comes together, click here to get on the VIP list)
The final word is this: Reinventing yourself is a risk.
Whether it's a new program, a new look, or even your business -- the courage to take action and change things up and act from your heart, soul, and highest self is what differentiates a lackluster business from a vibrant strong and powerful business.
Here's my challenge for you:
Make a list of 5-10 things you WISH you were doing but aren't (and yes, you can even add dyeing your hair to the list! Sometimes a physical change in us helps us take on other changes in our life and business!)
Choose one of those things and start it -- dedicate one hour to it. It might be writing up a blog post that you were scared to write. It might be crafting a workshop idea that you have no idea if anyone will be interested in, it might be organizing a retreat, even though you've never done it before. Do something that reinvents how you do your business and feels a little risky but right.
Then, in the comments below I want to hear from you.
What risks are you going to take in your business? How do you plan to apply the lesson of reinvention into your business?
Tova Payne is an Author and Consultant to holistic entrepreneurs. Stay connected with Tova and receive a copy of: 5 Keys to Start + Finish Your Business Projects and a Meditation for Business Clarity click here.