The Great Reinvention

Last year, the buzz phrase ‘The Great Resignation’ filled our hearts and minds with negativity and doom – women left the workforce in droves in search of more balance and fulfillment. This trend begs the question: what is so terrible about women reimaging their careers and following their dreams? There’s a two-fold opportunity here for both employees and companies. Employees have an opportunity to find a role and/or career they love, and companies have an opportunity to fill roles with the right, qualified candidate motivated for the position. Sure, the pandemic has placed added constraints and stress on our lives, but what better time to shift from a surviving to thriving mode, especially with your career. Our careers do not define us, but our level of happiness does. This year let’s give that negative phrase a 180 degree turn and coin it ‘The Great Reinvention,’ a time for reflection and action.

The Great Reinvention centers around you, prioritizing what matters most and makes your heart sing with respect to your career. It’s time to start prioritizing YOUR goals, aspirations, and what makes you truly happy. If you’re happy with what you are doing for a living, then it’s not considered ‘work.’ Companies all want to be profitable and if their employees enjoy what they are doing and feel appreciated, naturally an increase in productivity occurs. And if employees are happy and feel valued, their chances of burnout decreases.

New year, new you. Time for a mindset shift and there is no better time than now to take calculated risks in your career to reinvent your professional life. Why? Because tomorrow is not promised to us. Therefore, we should embrace the past and use the present as a compass to guide us today in a way that sets us up for our future – and for our legacy.

We all seek tangible tools we can place in our toolboxes and apply to our lives as we troubleshoot, learn, and grow. Here are a few tips to empower you to start blueprinting your career reinvention today:

– Conduct a mapping exercise with your goals clearly stated to define WHAT you need to accomplish to get there

– List the HOWs with respect to how you will achieve your dreams. Will you further your education, get certified, be proactive by calendaring time in the evenings and weekends to research, network, etc.?

– Create a timeline as to WHEN you will begin to take your calculated risk and forge ahead.

– Make a list of WHO will be in your trusted circle to get you from point A to point B. This is a combination of finding a sponsor within your company or desired company to help shepherd you to your dream job, to hiring a business coach, to finding a couple of relevant mentors.

– Identify the fears, mindsets and beliefs that intimidate you and may be holding you back from following your career aspirations in this next chapter. Get support to address if you need it!

If you are hungry for success that fuels your soul, I encourage you to take my digital course, Theodora Speaks – the online version, on how to take calculated risks to reinvent your professional life. We touch on many of the aspects referenced above – and more – in support of moving you towards this next phase of your career. Visit https://www.gaylekeller.org for more information and sign up to begin your professional reinvention journey today.

For me, taking calculated risks really comes down to one thing – I do not want to wake up one day and wonder what might have been. Cody Johnson sings about this in his latest song “‘Til You Can’t” and emphasizes if you have a chance, take it. So go for it. Now is your time!