Have you ever felt tired of who you've become and wished you could just reinvent yourself?
Perhaps you feel like you're not living to your potential? Maybe you wish to live in a way that's truer to yourself but just don't know where to start?
If you've found yourself thinking these things, you're not alone. But what does it mean to be the best version of yourself, and how can you actively become that person? This article explores how to reinvent yourself at any age, taking you through the steps that will help you understand how you want to live and show you how to pursue your passions.
Whether you're trying to figure out how to reinvent yourself after a breakup, looking to reinvent yourself at work, or just feeling like there should be more to your life, we'll offer you tips and tricks that will help you get there.
First, let's develop a clearer idea of what it even means to reinvent yourself.
It's important to note that self-reinvention is really about learning to become yourself rather than learning how to reinvent your personality from scratch.
Instead of utterly rewriting your values, goals, and personality traits, the goal of self-reinvention involves coming to understand your passions and needs on a deeper level and learning to live in accordance with them.
Think of it as becoming more authentic, and as focusing on increasing self-knowledge.
Crucially, reinvention can occur on one or more distinct levels.
So, you might stay the same in your personal life but completely transform your career.
Alternatively, you might keep your current job but resolve to totally change your attitude to your work. Even if you transform yourself in one specific area, it can have knock-on effects on your overall self-worth and happiness.
If you're going to reinvent yourself in meaningful ways, it's necessary to believe in the possibility of creating your reality. The Law of Attraction teaches us, our thoughts and feelings have the power to shape the world.
This means that by changing the way you view yourself and the possibilities in your life, you can actively reshape your identity and change the opportunities you attract.
However, before becoming the best version of yourself, you need to create an idea of what that version looks like. There are two crucial steps here – being honest with yourself, and knowing what you want.
Ask yourself this: do I really want to change?
If there are parts of you that resist the idea of reinvention it can slow you down when changing.
This dissonance will make it much harder for you to evolve in a meaningful way. If you're not sure you really want to change, it's worth thinking about this a bit more.
What's holding you back?
Could it be the fear of the unknown or a fear of failure? Once you identify and engage with anxieties, you might find yourself feeling much more open to the idea of reinvention.
Secondly, be honest about your biggest strengths, as these will be key to becoming the best version of yourself. Ask “What is my power, and how could I best use it?”.
Remember that you don't need to get this right the first time – the whole process of reinvention is about brainstorming and trying out new ideas.
To reinvent yourself in a way that makes you happy, you need to get clear on your priorities.
Knowing what you want and don't want can help you figure out what things should stay the same in your life, and what things need to change.
Where do you want to go? What does your ideal life look like, and what steps would you need to take to get there?
It can be useful to make two lists – one outlining the main facts about your situation as it is now, and one outlining how you want your future to be. For example, include descriptions of how you see yourself now vs.
how you want to be seen, and add acts about how you spend your time (at work and at home).
Also, be sure to note things that are missing that you would like to add.
A feeling of being “past it” is one of the biggest hangups that stops people from making life changes needed.
If your situation has been stagnant for a long time, you must just tell yourself that this is all you can expect from life, and bemoan the fact you didn't take risks at an earlier stage.
This can lead to long-term dissatisfaction, low mood, and bitterness, as well as difficulties enjoying even the good things you have.
It's vital to try and free yourself from this mindset, as there is no time at which it's too late to turn things around.
So, if you take anything away from this article, let it be this: you can create yourself anew at any stage of your life.
There are no rules that say you need to stick with a career, a relationship or a way of being that doesn't make you happy.
There is no age at which it is “too late” to become a different, more fulfilled person. So, whether you're 18 or 80, now is the perfect time to become the best version of yourself. Let's take a closer look at what this might involve at different stages of life.
At 40, it's common to take stock of what's important and to connect with the brief, precious nature of life.
So if your goal is to find out how to reinvent yourself at 40 or how to reinvent yourself at 45, give some thought to what really matters.
What relationships, preoccupations, and stresses can you eliminate? How can you be more honest in your interactions with others?
If you were starting your working life again, what would you do – and how can you make that happen now?
If your focus is on how to reinvent your life at 50, many of the questions suggested above are just as relevant.
At this age, if you want to change careers you might particularly worry about being over-qualified.
However, you can own this and use it as a selling point, explaining to people in your new career track how your diverse experience translates to this fresh area. Similar lessons apply in your personal life.
For example, don't be afraid to start dating again just because you're recently single.
Update your ideas of what you want from a potential partner, and put yourself out there!
When you're looking at how to reinvent yourself at 60 it is just as easy as doing it at any other age.
But pacing yourself is one of the most important things you can do in order to reinvent yourself properly.
Once you realize what changes you want to make, you'll likely be eager to start tackling those.
But, it's better to take gradual steps towards fitness than it is running yourself into the ground at the gym.
Whatever your goals, ask yourself what small step you can take each day to move closer to the version of yourself that you want to be. Slow, steady progress will get you there!
Let's turn now to a plan that you can follow to reinvent yourself, regardless of what that reinvention might look like (and the stage at which you might be doing it).
We'll work our way through six specific techniques that will help you define who you want to be and assist you in taking concrete steps forward towards your new self.
A brief warning: if you go into this process asking how to change yourself completely then you'll likely be disappointed. That sort of goal is based on rejecting your fundamental identity and usually has its roots in low self-esteem.
In contrast, if you view this journey as one that is all about growing into the very best version of yourself, you can feel good about who you are at all stages.
Try to focus on your core talents and positive traits throughout, looking at how these can be adapted to help you achieve your life goals in work, love and life.
The core question at the heart of your transformation is this: “How to be me?” In other words, how you can live in a way that better fits with who you are at your core?
How can you better fit the things you care about?
Following your passion is a huge part of this process.
If you're not sure what your passion is, think about the common threads running through the times when you've been happiest and most fulfilled. What are the factors that keep coming up?
For example, do you thrive most when you're giving back to others?
Is creativity a major contributor to your happiness? Are you a natural performer?
Following your passion means devoting energy and attention to fostering that passion, and finding ways to make it the centerpiece of your life.
When you identify and follow your passion, you naturally step towards a new version of yourself that is more real, more confident and more satisfied.
Changing your mindset is also essential to transformation. If you want to be the best version of yourself, you need to be able to feel grateful for who you are. Cultivating a positive, growth-oriented mindset rather than focusing on what you don't have or what you don't enjoy is vital.
When we're able to focus on the good, we attract more and more good into our lives.
If you struggle to be positive in this way, consider keeping a daily gratitude journal. All you need to do is write down three things that make you feel grateful each day, this simple habit starts to reshape how you look at the world.
Remember these don't need to be huge things -for example, good conversations with friends, and things you see in nature.
When you start to see more good, your energy changes and you're in a place that's more compatible with transformation.
While working on yourself and your feelings are indispensable parts of reinventing yourself, don't underestimate the importance of practical planning!
Create a comprehensive roadmap to becoming the person you want to be.
Try to come up with a rough timeline for achieving various milestones along the way.
In addition, try to anticipate and plan for any roadblocks.
For example, if you want to reinvent yourself as a more confident and social person, you might have a plan with various, escalating social goals on it.
You might catch up with a few friends this month, then go to an event with new people next month.
Meanwhile, you might know that you sometimes avoid social contact when you're tired – but you can write this into your plan, suggesting a pre-emptive strategy to manage your energy and keep you engaged with people.
Reinventing yourself offers you a chance to play and experiment with your identity.
Try not to have fixed, inflexible ideas of who you want to be, view this as a time for learning.
Becoming the best version of yourself can – and should – be fun!
Say “yes” to invitations you might have declined before, and be more open to the things that suit your personality.
Many new activities you try could end up helping shape your idea of what the best version of yourself is.
For example, if you're working on becoming a more outspoken and assertive person, experimenting with how to reinvent your look can have an unexpected impact.
Meanwhile, if you shape your life pursuing creativity, don't limit yourself to what you already know you're good at. Try new ones, too – what's the worst that could happen?
Never underestimate the raw power of laughter!
You'll feel happier, more energized and more open to the possibility of you actively pursue things that make you laugh.
Make it a priority to watch movies and read books that connect you with the funnier side of life.
Then with that, you can take the time to be truly silly with your friends.
When adult life takes over, it's tempting to spend most of our time talking about problems and weighty topics.
However, when we deliberately pursue the fun, playful parts of life we reconnect with the youthful parts of ourselves.
The youthful parts of our life are the parts that are still full of raw potential.
Laughing also helps to remind you that the process of reinvention doesn't have to be deadly serious. Instead, it can be exciting, bold, and even funny at times.
If you want to reinvent yourself into the best person you can possibly be, commitment is an absolute must.
There will be times when you encounter doubt, or where your energy for the process of transformation wanes a little.
It's important to be aware of shifts and to take care of yourself so that you can recover your enthusiasm.
If you have an overarching sense of commitment to your goal, you're able to persist and keep at it.
There are different things you can do in order to bolster commitments. Some people find accountability helpful – so, if you have a friend who also wants to reinvent themselves, consider doing this side by side and checking in about your goals.
Saying simple, positive affirmations that support your goals can also help to keep you in the right frame of mind.
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For example, it's easier to figure out what you want to change – and how to change it – if you've got some kind of system or tool for reinvention. Following a set process simplifies the whole plan, and can also help you be consistent in following your reinvention plan.
