"Reinventing yourself" MUST be a Daily Activity

Over the course I have come across many people who have euphemistically stated to me that they are "reinventing themselves..."

What they are really saying is that they got caught in a position of apathy with their own value to others (including companies) and found that they no longer could find gainful employment.  It was a nice way of admitting that they can't find a job!

This hit home recently when I was talking with an individual that was teaching mathematics.  This person has a resume (CV) that is absolutely amazing!  We talked about the background and experiences...the awesome assignments and accomplishments.  I was impressed!  Then I asked..."with all of these amazing things...why are you teaching?"

I expected a cool answer like "because I wish to share this with others..."

But what I got was..."this was all I could get!"

I was dumbfounded!

This person went on to explain that they had rested on their abilities...and refused to advance with the times...

Now..."when I interview for even an entry level engineering position...the question is asked...Can you use such and such software system...I have to answer no...I can do it all by hand...and a novice gets the job over me!"

The conversation went deeper and this person confessed that "the writing was on the wall!"

It seems that over the course of an exemplary career...the time to deliver amazing products was falling behind expected delivery goals!   Finally the company could not afford to wait and chose to sever the ties!

This is extreme situation...but it made me sit back and take stock of areas in my own life where I may not be keeping up!

Everyone has these areas in their life...places that we depend on...and we take them for granted and stop growing!

Then we wake up and find that we are no longer needed!

The question then becomes...What should we do?

...or...

Should we be reinventing ourselves?

The answer is YES!

Reinvention is a necessary part of life!

If we are not constantly assessing ourselves...and what we are truly capable of relative to the outside world...we will find ourselves way behind...and perhaps in a position where we are only worth 1/10th of what we were being paid a year ago!  "Yes that is what the math teacher person found!"

Reinvention is not an event but an ongoing process...

I believe that it is often too late to wait...

REMEMBER that "The greatest mistake that a person can make is not starting..." and in this situation...let's add...and not staying the course!

If you desire to stay on top...assess and reinvent...YOURSELF...

Become the learning and adaptation machine that you were designed to be...

Pura Vida

The Dream Jar

I used to be a passionate advocate of Vision Boarding!

For those who do not know what a Vision Board is...please allow me to briefly explain...

A Vision Board is a collage of pictures that depict ones dreams, goals and aspirations.

The purpose of a Vision Board is to create a mental and physical image of your goals...which in turn is supposed to assist in making them real...

I do not disagree with the fact that the first step in the success journey is "visioning"  yet I find that many people create the Vision Boards and believe that that activity is sufficient and their dreams will magically come true!  

Something just seemed to be lacking...

I have a Vision Board...I have had a Vision Board for years!

Many of the items on my Vision Board have become real...others have not!

The ones that are now real are those that I focused on and worked my hardest to achieve...

There are those that are still in process and I am working on...

AND...there are those that I am no closer to realizing than the day I paste the photo into the collage!

What is the difference?

It is quite apparent (because truth hides in "plain sight!")...the difference is work...or a cost!

It hit me as it does you!   (An Epiphany of the Utterly Obvious or DUH!)

Dreams and Visions are cheap...in fact...they are free...but making them REAL often...if not always...has a cost!

This bothered me...

How can I reconcile a Vision Board to reality?

About a week ago...I was carrying the recycling from the kitchen to the bins.

In the armful of "green" trash" was a large jar.

As I walked I realized that I could make my Vision Board REAL!

What came from that epiphany was my Dream Jar!

I believe that the ability to "multi-task" is a deception that we try to live...

Life is about focus and prioritization...

We can only do one thing (with excellence) at a time...

Try Singing and Eating at the same time!

Enough of that!

The collage (by its very nature) is a set or consolidation of multiple goals.  It is a "ToDo List"

Success comes from picking the most important thing and focusing on it and doing it well!

A Dream Jar...is goal specific...

One can have multiple Dream Jars...but the fact of the matter is...

You can only put specific coins (or whatever) in any single jar at a time.  If you have a handful of coins...you can mete them across the set of jars that you have...

You get the picture...I am getting ahead of myself...

Let's go back to the Dream Jar!

I was lucky because the jar that I used has no label...and it was clear to me that a Dream Jar had to have its purpose clearly indicated on it...

I made this label...

...and affixed it to the jar...

I then slotted and glued the lid in place...

Why would I do that?

So that if I felt compelled to use the money in the jar for anything other than my dream...I would have to shatter the jar and that dream!

What goes in the Dream Jar...

In the case of my ocean-side dream...it would require a down-payment...so money goes in this jar!

But this does not always need to be the case...what goes in the jar is the actual stuff that makes the dream possible...SUBSTANCE!

At first I committed to putting only the coins that I find on the ground...

But in short order it began collecting all of my excess change!

Every day I see the dream getting closer and closer...it is amazing...

I need not belabor the point...but let's look at the difference between a Vision Board and a Dream Jar...one more time!

The Vision Board simply contains pictures of your goals...The commitment to the goal(s) are external to the exercise...

On the other hand...The Dream Jar goes the necessary distance!  It contains the picture, but only one picture...AND that extra step is that it also contains the substance of action!

Dreaming and Visioning is OK...in fact it is a critical component of success...but it will always be ethereal...if there is no action (cost) behind the dreams and visions (picture(s)).

The difference is the ACTION...pure and simple!

Vision Boarders...consider taking your activity up a level with a Dream Jar...or for those with high aspirations...Dream Jars!

You will be surprised how quickly your activities become MORE focused on your dream!

Pura Vida!