Sunday, September 1, 2013

Reinventing



I had the pleasure of hearing Seth Godin speak at a Leadership Conference at my Church a few years ago.  He is the master of reinventing one’s self.  I remember him saying that a person reinvents themselves an average of five times in their lifetime.  At the time I hadn’t really thought much about it before.  Although listening to his lecture, it made perfect sense.  Why not reinvent yourself?  Whether it is personally or in business, reinventing one's self could be healthy and much needed.  Some people are quite content with their current lives and that’s great.  But some are always searching to learn more, understand more about others and themselves, and to discover more truth and knowledge.  I have been reading Seth’s blog and recently he published a manuscript called, Brainwashed.  You can download it for free.  I’ll post the link at the end.  He talks about 7 ways to help reinvent yourself.  I’ll talk on each point briefly.

  1. Connect – He makes a great point reminding us that today we’re able to connect to anyone in the world.  When I was a little girl, there were no cell phones till I was in middle school and I only knew one person who had one.  My cousin looked like he was holding a brick to his ear.  Today, technology has us connected through social media (facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc.)  You have the ability to not only connect with your friends and family, but to connect with others in the world and to have a greater impact than you’ve ever had before. 
  2. Be Generous – Being generous is not only about donating to charity (although that is important also).  It’s about being generous to those who ask you for help.  Helping a fellow colleague, being a mentor, giving your gift of knowledge, compassion or help to someone else and not expecting anything in return.  Godin says, “The generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in circles of gifts. Not the direct I-gave-you-this-you-give-me-that giving and get of a traditional economy, but instead the tribal economy of individuals supporting one another."  I couldn't agree more.
  3. Create Art- The art he’s talking about is not traditional art as we know it.  He is talking about making something new, ideas, relationships, connections.  It’s art because it is a new creation and may or may not be enjoyed by everyone.  It’s risky, but it’s art. 
  4. Acknowledge the Lizard – He is referring to the prehistoric brain stem we have.  The human brain stem has evolved over millions of years but it is much like the reptilian lizard brain.  I never knew that until I read his article.  But he also goes on to say, that acknowledging the lizard means that we all have the underlying fear of being laughed at.  Again, since creating something new is risky, some may not understand, ridicule or insult it.  We must get beyond that fear and realize risk is there regardless, and creating something new is integral and important. 
  5. Ship– This is another way to say that humans loves convenience and simplicity.  So in business, if you’re able to create something that’s a commodity and can ship it out the door almost effortlessly, then you’re on to something very successful. So many will pay for convenience.  So don't let opportunities pass you by in your career or business to attract more customers by making your products available very easily. 
  6. Fail – Failing is a part of life.  In order to take risks, failure is inevitable sometimes.  Don’t be afraid to fail.  We’ve all done it.  Keep going.  Rewards are there for those willing to take risks.  
  7. Learn – This is probably the most important of all the steps because it makes the other steps possible.  We must learn, keep open minds and pursue knowledge at every stage of life.  Learning is essential to life, and life is essential to learning.   
Thanks for reading my post and here's the link to Seth's manuscript:
http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/docs/brainwash.pdf 

Love and hugs,
Laura