Reinvention – the hard part…

The concept of reinvention is a topic that is close to my heart and has played a pivotal role in shaping my life over the past 14 years. After the loss of my dad in 2011, closely followed by the end of my marriage and then job loss in 2012 I was at rock bottom…

I felt battered by the seemingly never-ending stream of blows that were inundating me all at once.  Now, it could have been easy to become the victim and blame others, but the reality was that I played a part in some of these issues, and I needed to be accountable.

Clearly, I needed to reevaluate my life and determine what was important to me.   First and foremost were Zach and Sam and their welfare which was my number one priority.

Next, I had to figure what I wanted to do with my life.   After working at one of the largest consulting firms in the world I had worked hard to be promoted into a managing director role, however the toll on me and my family I soon learned was not worth the effort.

I had sacrificed being with my family for seven years as I toiled relentlessly on the road (flying to be onsite at a client from Monday to Friday).  I spent a year in Dallas, then another year in Washington DC, a further three and a half years in Vancouver before my final year plus traipsing all over the world.

Sounds glamourous except for missing some of the most important times with my kids when they were growing up.  During those years I had requested a role in Toronto but was unsuccessful and after a number of conversations realized that I had a decision to make.  It was evident that my choice was my job or my kids… and for me this was always going to be my kids.

All of these events crystallized into me wanting to change my focus and thus with this came my reinvention.  Some people may think that this is a split-second decision, but it was a slow process that unfolded over about a 12-month period.  What I found was, the more I reflected on the concept of what was important to me in my life the more it opened up my mind to options and ideas.  Creating this grow mindset was critical in my reinvention.

I knew that I wanted to spend quality time with my kids as I had them half time, which meant that whatever job I decided on doing or creating had to allow for this.  In addition, one thing I found with working in my corporate job was that I had no time for myself or my creative self.

From this kernel came my aspirations to create Indelible Adventures of which my weekly essay is just one aspect.  Today, this has blossomed into Indelible Adventures Media which also includes my professional photography and has allowed my creativity to blossom.

Over the course of this journey, I’ve also written and published two books and produced three podcast series.

Another aspect of my reinvention journey is understanding what I want and more importantly what I don’t want in my life.  Peace and serenity have become paramount in my thinking.

The central theme to reinvention is that it’s not for everyone.  Nor is that it’s a magic bullet, but a personal journey that only you can make, when and if you’re ready to embark.

You have to be ready to take that first step and realize that the concept and indeed the act of reinvention begins and ends with you.  No two reinventions are the same, nor is the definition the same for everyone.

How did I know I was ready for reinvention you ask?

Well, I was at a crossroad in my life.  Everything was in turmoil and found myself at my absolute emotional and physical limit.  Something had to give, and I realized that I needed to change the game.  I knew that it would be easy to become the victim and slip into negativity, but I also realized that if my life was going to be mine then I needed to take control and do what was important for me.   Not anyone else, but for me!

This quickly turned into a self-reflection exercise whereby I weighed up all aspects of my life and began prioritizing the most important things.  I knew that I couldn’t be afraid of jettisoning things that were superfluous or did not serve my long-term goals.

First, I had to reimagine my life and define what my long terms goals actually were…   Easier said than done, but I worked on the premise that I wanted certain things in my life and began here.  I wanted to spend more time with Zach and Sam, I wanted to travel more when I wasn’t with them, I wanted to live life on my terms and find my own groove and not live inside someone else’s shadow.  Each of these goals had far reaching implications that I needed to now face.

This is where I had to show real conviction and courage and follow through with these difficult decisions.

Not everyone is ready for the action part of reinvention, but let me tell you that without the action to your words nothing is going to change…

The question to you is – are you ready or willing to reinvent yourself for your long-term goals and ambitions to live the life you’ve always wanted?

Until next week.

Ciao!