7 Powerful Tools for Reinventing You and Your Business To move forward in the turbulent world of business requires a clear vision of what is possible.
By Sherrie Campbell Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If you're in a rut or things aren't progressing as quickly as you would like, it is time to make changes. Change means reinvention. We all have the opportunity in life at any moment to reinvent ourselves. Each time a major shift in life -- starting a new job, moving or losing a relationship -- is a chance we have to take our power back, start over and begin a fresh chapter.
We must take back our control back to ever reach our full potential. However, the most successful entrepreneurs don't wait for life traumas for inspiration. They see every day as a day for reinvention and using their power to its fullest.
1. Create a vision for your future.
Reinvention always begins with a vision. You have to want more to get more. You have to want something different to make a difference. Imagine the future you want. Whenever you achieve one level of success, you will naturally be drawn to expand your vision. There is never a ceiling in life until you choose to see that where you are is enough. Enough should never be enough when there is room for further expansion in business.
The imagination is a machine that has no limits. If you can imagine something, then you can make that something happen. The more imaginative your vision of your next level, the more you can call into being. The more thought you put into the vision, the more real it becomes. The mind will naturally begin to see the potential snags that will need to be worked through. Never see these potential snags as stop signs. Envision yourself around them. Doing this only makes your vision smarter.
2. Make it real.
Writing something down is the first step to making a vision real. Reinventing yourself starts a process of imaging in tandem with problem solving. As you write what you want on one side of piece of paper, use the other side for predicting potential roadblocks. Then take those potential roadblocks, imagine solutions to each and write down each of those solutions.
Most people cannot get past the roadblock phase. They unnecessarily choose not to move forward. Writing is a great way to problem solve and get clear. It is also invigorating and exciting, as it helps the creative process find its outlet. Writing gives your visions form and makes you future come alive.
Related: How to Reinvent Yourself
3. Change your language.
Never talk your vision down. Only speak in terms of success and opportunity. Discipline your talk to solutions not problems. As you start to put your vision into real world experience the language you speak about it will determine if other people will catch on or not. If you want to make your vision real, you have to believe in it so deeply there is no other option.
Language is life. What you speak is what you will live and manifest. How you talk about your vision is directly related to how well your idea is received. Be prepared, not desperate. Know clearly what you want and have your plan of action so detailed there will be no question you can't answer.
4. Change your approach.
Reinvention is a transformation into a new form of yourself and your business that always requires changes in your approach. To get somewhere new you have to do new things. You cannot use your same old routine patterns and expect a new result.
When you change your habits you will see immediate results. Once a certain level of success becomes second nature there is no motivation to change our habits. That makes it easy to become unconsciously lazy. To start something new and reinvent yourself you have to look at a complete transformation in your approach. Be willing. Be bold. Take risks.
5. Create workable tasks.
Changing your approach may feel overwhelming. Overwhelm can lead to quitting and feeling like your next level is not possible. Any reinvention must be intelligently executed by breaking it down into workable parts. Figure out exactly what you need to do, every day, to manifest your vision.
Determine who you need to network with, what resources you need, the necessary financing and most important how you need to grow and stretch as person. Put in place what you need for the small successes necessary to get to your bigger picture. Make lists of everything you need to do, create a schedule for when you will do it and then commit yourself fully, taking one step at a time. Each small success will motivate your larger successes.
Related: 'Pursuit of Happyness': Chris Gardner on Reinventing Yourself
6. Consistent reminders.
Reinvention is never easy or smooth. You will encounter resistance, most often coming from your own limiting beliefs or stories about yourself that hold you back from really taking the leap. Each time you find yourself slipping into old habits like isolating yourself, making excuses or procrastinating on tasks that would undoubtedly advance your career, ask yourself "what can I do in this moment to keep moving forward?" Your mind will immediately offer solutions. Doing one small task to maintain enough momentum to get you through the doubt.
Reinvention is a risk. Remind yourself of the reason you have decided to grow yourself. Vision boards or another type of visual reminder will keep you aligned with what you are striving to achieve personally and professionally. Keep your goals for personal and professional reinvention at the forefront of your mind. Consistently move toward the possibility of greater success.
7. Re-purpose yourself.
To reinvent yourself you have to take who you are and what your business is and give it a new definition, a new approach and a new purpose. Re-purposing is transformation in action. We cannot grow our business unless we grow ourselves.
Uncertainty and change are a part of reinvention. All the changes you make in your business will cause you to fundamentally shift. You must have the courage to see and adapt to your new direction and purpose. Re-purposing is a fluid dynamic which deepens your resilience, your knowledge and your ability to manifest the visions you create.
There is nothing to hold you back from success accept stagnation. Stagnation is deadly to innovation and reinvention. You must have a passionate belief to manifest a new level of your business, your life and your personal development. Create the vision of what you want, create the plan, be willing to change everything and step into the unknown. Reinvention requires intelligence and planning but it mostly requires facing and overcoming fear, doubt and uncertainty.
As C. S. Lewis famously stated, "You're never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream."
Related: RIM Founder Mike Lazaridis on the Challenges of Reinvention
