How To Recreate Yourself At Any Age in Every Way
When I first thought about the topic of how to reinvent yourself, it reminded me of an old interesting study.
It concluded that our personality is set for life by 1st grade. If you’ve been a certain way since six and you don’t like it, this news would probably be depressing.
But I believe we all have the power to reinvent ourselves. That we don’t have to be the same person we were in our childhood, teens, or 20’s
We can grow into something more than we’ve ever been before physically, emotionally, professionally and so on.
Major life changes like losing a job, losing a relationship, or a moving to new place can make us feel like we need to re-adjust ourselves.
Even if you’re pushing past 40, 50, 60, and beyond, as long as you’re still breathing, it’s never too late to change.
All it takes is giving yourself a chance. Allowing yourself to explore things beyond what’s been your normal.
Re-imagining the kind of person you could be and working to bring that person to reality.
As Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t like something change it, and if you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
As it relates to reinventing ourselves, that means changing how we live, changing how we think, and ultimately changing who we are.
If you’re ready to evolve into a newer, happier version of you, here are some ways you can get started today.
- Visualize the person you want to be
- Decide the new choices you’ll have to make
- Start trying
- Learn lessons from your efforts
- Have supportive people in your circle
- Don’t be discouraged
1. Visualize the person you want to be
Visualization is an effective tool that’s worth using more often. In a Psychology Today article titled, Seeing is Believing: The Power of Visualization, a study found that mental practices are just as effective as physical practices.
The article goes into even more studies and details that show if you just see yourself performing a certain way, you’re more likely to achieve it.
The way I see it, why can’t the same be the case with the person you want to be? The author also noted that it increases our confidence, self-efficacy, motivation, and primes your brain for success.
Practice visualizing the person you want to see yourself be more.
2. Decide the new choices you’ll have to make
With any change you want to make in life, it requires new choices. If you want to get in shape, that requires starting a new diet and exercise routine.
If you want to get better grades in school, that requires starting a new study routine. With the change you want to make in yourself, what will you choose to do different?
Here are some examples of what you could set in your mind that you’ll choose to do:
- I’m going to choose to be more talkative
- I’m going to choose to be more calm
- I will choose to listen more
- I will choose to speak louder
- I’m going to choose to be more open
You can use these examples or think of your own that fits with the type of person you want to transform yourself into.
3. Start trying
Once you know what choices you have to make to be this person you’re trying to be, you have to start trying.
Go out and do the kinds of things that the person you would become would do. Communicate to others in the kind of way that you would expect the new you to communicate.
Don’t be afraid of coming off foolish to others. Even if you make mistakes being the new you, it’s all a part of the process.
4. Learn lessons from your efforts
Once you’ve tried out the reinvention of yourself for a while, step back and re-evaluate things.
Are you liking the way you’re acting around others?
Are you enjoying the new things you’re trying to do in life?
If you feel like you’re dissatisfied or unsure, make some adjustments. Try to act in other ways and try to do other things.
Sooner or later, you’ll get closer to the sweet spot of the personality and lifestyle you want, and start owning who you are.
5. Have supportive people in your circle
In an article in Verywell Mind titled, “How Social Support Contributes to Psychological Health”, it lists a number of benefits that we gain from having a support system in our life. Among those benefits include:
- Better wellness choices and behaviors
- Coping with stress
- Improved motivation
In the midst of starting a new way of life as a newer kind of person, all of these benefits would be good to have.
You can let close family or friends know you’re trying to be different than you’ve been before. They can encourage you every step of the way.
6. Don’t be discouraged
Sometimes in trying to change who you are, people aren’t going to accept the different person you choose to be.
They’re going to think of you as only one way and try to belittle or mock you for trying to be anything else.
Don’t be discouraged by those people. Focus on the people who are supportive of you, and most of all, support yourself in choosing to be who you want to be.
You can feel good about the person you’re becoming and enjoy life even more. No matter what stage of life you’re in, remember that it’s never too late to change.
Excellent piece