Self-improvement is something we all strive to achieve; we just may have different areas we want to improve. At the end of the day, we all want to get better in life. At its core, self-improvement is really a series of small to bigger self-reinventions—building something new or better based on a previous version of yourself. However, that actually is the part that can feel really hard: reinventing yourself requires you to have the courage to change.
Change can be scary and the avoidance of it can be the very thing holding you back from experiencing the life you want. Yet, change is the only pathway to self-improvement.
Reinventing Yourself is Normal
I used to think that if I needed to constantly improve or reinvent myself then I was probably failing at life. “Why can’t you just get it together once and for all? Why do you keep making these same mistakes?” This is just some of the negative self-talk that would happen inside my head. Then, I realized that reinvention is actually more normal than I understood before. It’s part of the natural process of life—live, learn, improve, repeat.
Think about this: Every year Apple and other phone companies release new versions of a previous product and millions of people run to buy it because it has new features and upgrades. Then, throughout the year, the company releases software updates to increase security, and functionality, or to add new features. When this happens, we don’t say “Why didn’t they think about this when they released the phone?” We understand that companies use new information, data, and feedback to improve their products. Phones are just one example. Every product or technology we use follows the same journey: release, gather feedback, implement changes, and then re-release.
Get excited about reinventing yourself
Maybe we should think about self-improvement and reinvention similar to the process above. Self-improvement is like making a personal software update. As we live, we learn, and then we use that data to inform new versions of ourselves.
What if we viewed our own personal development like the annual Apple product reveal?
What if we actually prioritized and planned for personal upgrades with the same excitement as Apple?
What if we viewed personal growth and change as a good thing?
In the last post, we worked through a self-care checklist to help us reset. As I was writing that, I thought about how important desire is to the process of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual growth. We have to understand why personal care is important, especially as we pursue personal growth and goals. Honestly, if we really do not care about where we are going in life, we can just live carelessly and continue to treat ourselves poorly. But, if we actually care about how we are experiencing the present, and want to set ourselves up for success in the future, then we need to embrace the importance of having personal development goals that may require us to reinvent ourselves.
Why do I need to embrace change if I want to reinvent myself?
I currently have this quote from Jim Rohn on my wall: “If you want change, you should change. If you change, everything will change for you. When you get better, everything will get better for you.” I think this sums up why change is so important in life.
If we are honest, we can admit that change is hard. The decision to change is not hard; it is the actual work that goes into changing that is hard. On top of that, it’s also the fear of what will happen if you change. Sometimes we do not know what is on the other side of change. If we knew the outcome or could predict the future, it would be a lot easier to embrace change and commit to the work of change. Therefore, there can be an incredible amount of fear involved when you have no clue what is ahead of you, especially when we are talking about personal change.
Here is the truth: Self-improvement requires change. Personal development requires change. Self-actualization requires change. Healing requires change. Physical fitness and emotional health require change. Everything worth anything requires us to constantly evolve and become a better version of ourselves. Therefore, embracing change as a part of personal growth is crucial.
Why you might be afraid to reinvent yourself?
Change requires discipline and a willingness to fight for your own improvement. When things get hard and you lose motivation—and that will absolutely happen—understanding that change is the key to improvement will help you keep going. The fear of change and discipline are probably the two biggest hurdles to reinventing yourself.
So, why are we so afraid of change?
- There are no guarantees. Sometimes change feels like a gamble. You really don’t know what will happen if you change yourself or the conditions around you. It’s like a crazy science experiment. If you remember science class or being in the lab and adding different elements to an experiment, then you are familiar with observing elements as you change variables. We are all looking for the optimal conditions and the best variables to add to our life in order to maximize it. The problem is the experimentation phase is scary because we don’t know what’s going to happen on the other end. However, if we don’t do something different, we will not produce a different result. Similarly, if we want to change or improve, then we need to do something different.
- You are afraid of what you will lose. Everyone is not going to be excited about your personal growth and development. Sometimes people have come to know you as one version of yourself and they don’t always know what to do with a new version. Some of your existing relationship dynamics may change as you change. In most cases, people are happy for your growth and development and will celebrate you becoming a better version of yourself. But sometimes, people don’t know what to do with that change. However, the deepest change you need to encounter is not for other people, it is for you—your future, your happiness, your mental health, your survival, and your wildest dreams. In the end, a better you will positively impact the people around you, whether they see that now or not.
- You feel like an imposter or unworthy. Every one of us has a vision of who we want to become. However, you may not believe that you are worthy of that person or the things you envision that person having. In some ways, you might be struggling with change because you don’t believe you’re ready or deserving to become the person you desire. Another reason is that you might be afraid you cannot sustain that new version of yourself. In other words, you feel failure is inevitable.
- You’re afraid to be vulnerable. We all want to present a competent and confident version of ourselves. When we think about change, it requires us to go into a phase of learning and possible experimentation. This might mean that the initial stages of this change process may not look like you have everything all together. If you are building a new skill, it takes a while for you to become proficient. The same thing happens as we try to build new habits or develop a better version of ourselves; we are going to enter stages where it may take a while to become comfortable with who we are.
- The work seems overwhelming. We know that change is hard and requires discipline and work. The road is going to have some bumps. You know you are going to put in some physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual blood, sweat, and tears in order to realize this new version of yourself. If you have ever worked out, been a part of any type of sport, or developed any kind of expertise, you understand those days when you did not want to go to the gym or practice because you knew it was going to be a HARD type of session. However, we know that the results on the other end of that hard work are worth it (hitting a personal best!). This is the same perspective we need to apply to personal development. It is not going to always feel good, but it is always worth the investment.
So, how do you start reinventing yourself?
- Express gratitude for how far you have come.
- Get clear on the goal. Reflect on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual vision you have for your life. You can use these posts to get you started:
- Believe change is possible for you. First, it is important to believe that you have something wonderful to offer this world. Second, it takes faith to believe change is possible. Read these posts if you need some inspiration:
- Get Started. This is often the hardest part, but we should try to keep the long-term goal in mind.
Remember the quote from Jim Rohn: “If you want change, you should change. If you change, everything will change for you. When you get better, everything will get better for you.”
The more you think about personal development, you notice that it is intricately tied to the concept of change. It is okay to reinvent yourself. It is normal and expected. In order to develop expertise and personal growth, it requires us to repeatedly reflect on our actions and learning and use that information to apply to an area of change in our lives. Therefore, enter your next season of life with the courage to change and reinvent yourself.
Thank you for being a part of this community. If you are new here and you like this post, you can add your email below to receive future posts from this blog.
life/me. 