In order for us to make progress in our lives, we have to constantly reinvent ourselves. As humans, we are not supposed to stop growing. That may be news to some of the adults you know seeing that they behave as if they are still children but that is for another post. We are alive; therefore we are not meant to stop growing.
When we reinvent ourselves we are not seeking a reward for an accomplishment. When you reinvent yourself, you are leaving the end of your story open so there are going to be endless opportunities for you to explore more parts of yourself as people and things are experienced in your life. When we seek a reward, to me that means there is a point at which we are done. When we think we are done, we will stop reaching and stretching ourselves…..stunting our growth.
It is a good thing to leave the end open. It reduces disappointments. You are more open to change, especially inwardly.
I spend a good amount of time thinking about how I can be better and do better. I sit down with one of my journals and just think. That paper is blank and I can do with it whatever I want, including throw it away. We are writing the pages of your book right now, our life journey. I see myself and my life as my work of art and you should see yours the same way. I am taking my time to create it, of course with God’s help, and I am a total work in progress. When I see things that I do not like, I try not to get upset or beat myself up about it….TRY…because there is really no need. I just get to work on reinventing myself.
How do you do that? We have to see the thing we want to change but you can’t just focus on that. You have to see yourself getting there, but also know that there are things that have to happen in order to get to that place. We have to find the positive habits that are going to get us to the place that we actually change and not just temporarily change our behavior. Temporary means just that and it will not last and you will just go back to being the “old” you, proving you have not grown in that area.
How we continue to behave is all due to our habits. In order to reinvent ourselves, we
have to find the habits that will create the traits we need for a change. And we have to practice those habits daily. No matter what we have going on, we must create the new habit. You cannot create change by doing it for a week or some days and taking breaks. It is too easy to stop altogether! We have to create a shift in our lifestyle in that area. We have to be dedicated to the change. So much so that the new habit replaces the old and you don’t have to put a concerted effort into it.
When I think about reinventing myself, I try to make sure that I am setting realistic goals. I want to win!!! That means that I have to set myself up for success. I have bad habits that I know are going to take some time to replace so I am patient with myself in those areas. I celebrate every little win toward my goals. I also take a good look in the mirror at myself often. Yes, I see that I am a cutie and all but I am talking about real self-reflection. If you don’t look at yourself occasionally, things can get out of control and maybe even dangerous. I have so many things that I do in a day that I can be overwhelmed at times. I love all that I do, but I still need that quiet time to refill my tank and reflect on the person I am. And I ask myself the tough questions too….no, do you like your hair? or Should I shave my legs questions. I GO deep!!
At any rate, I am not who I want to be yet, but I am grateful that I am not who I used to be. And I try to stay away from people who try to remind me of who I was while I am maturing into this beautiful, full grown woman