Beyond Reinventing Yourself: The Journey Continues

The process of reinventing yourself is a challenging but rewarding journey. If you’ve read the previous articles in this series, you know that it requires a great deal of introspection, hard work, and determination to identify what you want to achieve, the changes you want to make, and what you can do to support your goals both now and in the future. But what happens once you’ve put in all that effort? How do you preserve the changes you’ve made, create new aspirations and milestones, support your goals, and stay the course on this journey of self-improvement?

This is the fourth post in our 4-part series, Reinventing Yourself. The first three posts focused on the process of reinvention itself, while this last post offers guidance for setting up other areas of your life that will help support your goals.

The Keys to Continuous Improvement in Support of Your Goals

Willpower is a much stronger beast without temptation. If you’ve ever rid your home of sugary sweets to help you stick to a diet, and your roommates replenished the stash, then you know this to be true.

A key to maintaining your progress is setting up areas of your life to support your goals. Sustaining progress in specific areas often requires letting others know your intentions, such as telling roommates your plans so they can help support your goals and not unintentionally undermine your efforts.

Healthy Living

According to research in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) listed in the National Library of Medicine, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can improve your physical well-being, boost your mental health, and improve your emotional well-being. In addition to taking care of your body, it’s also important to surround yourself with a supportive circle of peers. Surrounding yourself with positive, encouraging people can provide motivation and encouragement as you work to support your goals.

Education and Career

Reinventing yourself isn’t a journey that ends when you reach your destination. It’s a path that you walk for the rest of your life. Along that path, your education and career goals are important. Setting clear goals in both arenas helps keep you focused and motivated.

As we mentioned in Part 3 of this series, SMART goals help you break down your long-term objectives into more manageable tasks and track your progress along the way. Building a strong foundation in these and other areas of your life better equip you to handle the challenges ahead.

Leadership training can also help you learn how to direct yourself. Maintaining momentum on your journey of self-improvement includes setting boundaries, growing into the new “you,” staying positive, and burning your old “ships” that could threaten the progress that supports your goals.

Setting Boundaries

Setting clear. firm boundaries — with others and with yourself — will protect your progress. These boundaries might involve saying no to commitments that don’t support your goals, setting aside dedicated time for self-care and reflection, or implementing self-discipline in other areas, such as time management or budgeting your finances. Healthy boundaries can help support your goals and prevent you from getting overwhelmed or burned out.

Remember to be mindful of the energy you give to others too. Surrounding yourself with friends and family who strengthen you and support your goals is important, as is being mindful of any toxic or “vampiric” relationships in your life. Setting boundaries with these individuals helps preserve your strength, protect your energy, and support your goals.

Growth and Positivity

Continuing to identify opportunities for your growth in personal and professional endeavors is another crucial component of a successful reinvention journey. This might involve seeking new learning experiences, setting achievable goals that challenge your comfort zone, and cultivating positive habits such as gratitude and mindfulness. Engaging in personal development activities can help you continue to grow and improve, offering a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

In addition to actively seeking growth opportunities, cultivating a positive mindset enables you to reframe your situation. It can even help you reframe your entire life. Developing a positive frame of mind to support your goals might involve practicing gratitude, focusing on the present moment, and rethinking negative thoughts in a positive light. By focusing on the positive and keeping your eyes trained on growth, you set yourself up for success and improved well-being.

Burn Your Ships (But Not Your Bridges)

When Hernán Cortés first landed on the shores of Montezuma, he made an unthinkable decision: he burned his ships. Some historical accounts say he merely dismantled the ships to reassemble them later. Others claim he secretly sent some of his men back to drill holes in the hull, effectively sinking them. Either way, his actions spoke volumes: there was no direction but forward.

Embarking on a reinvention journey is much the same. There’s no turning back now. Reinvention is about stepping into a new life, with new choices and opportunities. You cannot allow yourself to backslide into your old routines. This journey can spur the temptation to cut all ties with your past and leave it all behind. Letting go of negative influences and old habits is great, but maintaining healthy relationships and being open to learning from your past experiences is also beneficial. By “burning your ships” and committing fully to your new path, you’re simply cutting out the bad so the good can prosper — cutting out the weeds so your garden can grow.

However, as you set fire to your ships, it’s important not to set your bridges ablaze in the process. Letting go of the negative influences from your past is necessary. But you likely have many positive relationships you’d rather not lose.  By maintaining healthy relationships and consistently making forward strides, you can continue to grow and learn from your experiences. You might also consider finding an accountability partner or mentor who can help keep you on track and support your goals.

Start Your Reinvention Journey Today

Congratulations on reaching this point on the challenging yet rewarding path to reinvention. By focusing on behaviors and activities that support your goals, you can maintain your positive change.

Want to continue your reinvention journey with support from people who know what it takes? Reach out to learn more or to enroll in our new Reinvent Yourself course today.

David Neal