Is it Time To Reinvent Yet Again???

Hi Everyone,
It's Sunday, June 27th and it's a beautiful day in NYC.
I just returned from a trip to Connecticut where I delivered a morning workshop to a group of healthcare workers.

I'm incredibly lucky... I love what I do. I have passion for my audiences, for my topics. I'm constantly tweaking to make it better and more purposeful.
I had wonderful side-bar conversations with some of the participants and their comments ranged from questions to "I don't know if I can do this."

Their questions/comments were usually things like:
1. I'm not happy, but I don't really think I can make any changes
2. I've been wanting to get a divorce for over 10 years, but haven't had the courage
3. What are some babysteps I can make?
4. Who can really be there to help me through the whole process?
5. Change is scary.

You get the drift.
We're all in that boat. We all want to make changes in our lives, whether it be small ones or large ones. Sometimes the changes have to do with what's "not" working and other times it's about wanting to try something new and different (and there's not necessarily anything wrong.)

I say that before we can make a change we need to Show Up,Be Willing, Tell ourselves the Truth and then Give Ourselves Permission.

So have you "shown up".... are you thinking about how things are and wondering if they could be different?
Are you willing to engage in the conversation with yourself and others ... just explore?
Can you tell the truth about what's working, what's not, where you're happy and where you're not, if making a change is viable considering where you are in your life right now?
And lastly, will you give yourself permission to actually take some steps, or dive in?

If you can answer yes, then it's time to move forward.

Reinvention is all around you. Just google the word. You'll see that GM is reinventing their company, BP and Toyota are reinventing their advertising, Lady Gaga is reinventing her look and her outrageousness every day. Government is reinventing it's policies. Businesses are reinventing their services and their products.

So, why shouldn't you take on reinventing yourself again...at whatever stage of life you're at?

I'm constantly thinking of what's next for me. Can I add a new service, start a new workshop, change my speaking topics, take my work on the road, write a new book?
Yesterday I went to see the Joan Rivers movie about her life and how she has been unstoppable and done whatever it takes to continue to perform, make money, work, feel purposeful. It was very inspiring. She is 75 and has no intention of slowing down. You should see what an ordinary day's schedule looks like in her life. It seems she never gives up, never sits down and just wastes time in front of the TV .. she is always "generating" what's next.

I invite you to take a look at how you're living your life.
Are you loving it?
Are you just surviving and muddling through OR are you thriving?
Are you yearning for more, but taking no action?
Are you excited about new things you want to do.

Remember what I always say: Do you want to die with your dreams inside you?

As always, I'm here to help... feel free to comment, ask questions, etc.
Til next time,
ann

REInvention is a Lot of Things

HI Everyone,
We often get very intimidated by the concept of reinvention, so I thought I would offer you a simpler way of looking at it.

Let's say you walk to work each day (as people do in NY). And let's say you consistently go the same way but one day, the street is blocked off because of repairs. What do you do? Well, you can either stand there and wait for it to re-open and not get to work OR you can go another way. The end result is.. you still get to work.

Well, reinvention can actually be like that. Here are some examples of how to reinvent:
• Walk/drive to work a different way
• Wear new colors
• Eat something different for breakfast
• Buy a new/different raincoat or umbrella
• Change your haircut or color
• Take on a new/different hobby
• Sizzle in a new relationship
• Create a new logo or letterhead

You see, it's all about doing something different. There's nothing to be afraid of.

You don't have to throw the baby out with the bath water. You can do what you've always done, but with a little shift or tweak. Or, if what you've always done works, keep doing it the same way and reinvent something else.

I say this all the time .. you don't have move to Timbuktu, give up your kids and shave your head to reinvent.. you DO just have to be open to looking "newly" at something and tweaking it.

For more ideas, go to www.annfry.com and download the FREE 33 Ways to ReInvent
enjoy!
ann

You Get to Choose

Hi Everyone,
I've been having many conversations lately with people in the midst of re-creating themselves. They are taking risks, trying new things, are excited about some of their new directions; however, they're also butting up against the angst of change.

In step #5 of my 7 1/2 Steps to Transcend the Status Quo, I say: Get a plan for uncertainty. It's the times of not knowing what to do, how to do it, when to do it, why to do it .. that get us in the hot seat. You see, when involved in change, we are way outside our comfort zone. It seems it would be so much easier to return to the space of doing what we already know, even though it's not fulfilling or isn't working. I mean, right? AT least with the old, we know what to expect, we're not caught off guard. Example: If we have a job and can depend on a steady income, it's easier to not leave than to risk NOT making money for a bit while we look for or try something different. If we live in a decent place in a nice neighborhood, in a nice city, in a nice state and we know a lot of people ... even if we're bored there, we want to stay, because ... if we move someplace else.. what might it be like? Right?

Making a change, shifting a behavior involves a huge learning curve. We are in uncharted waters. Say you always worked in a company and now you're the boss of your own company. You have to do it all and you probably don't know how to do it all. You could hire help, but maybe you can't afford to yet... so, the learning curve.

Let's zoom down now into the emotional side. There's the practical side .. the decision making side, weighing the pros and cons of a change. Say you decide you're close to doing it OR you've already made the shift. Here's what happens:

On the one side, you're feeling:
• Fear
• Difficulty in accepting help or asking for it
• A Sense of righteousness ... e.g. "I know what I'm talking about, you can't tell, etc"
• Impatience -- things aren't happening fast enough.

Sound familiar? It certainly does to me. That about sums up my negative side or the challenging side of my personality.

However, on the other side, there are some more useful ways to be or feel.
• Be authentic/ humble
• Be passionate
• Be open
• Ask for what you need and be willing to accept it
• Be vulnerable
• Be truthful
• Be optimisitc
• Be CLEAR about your goals

Do you have some of these ways of being? I do.

In a recent conversation with a wonderful mentor of mine, she challenged me to look at both sides of my schizophrenic self. I'm all of this stuff.
I'm incredibly independent, driven, a bit demanding at times, self-righteous, impatient .. and I'm incredibly fearful at times.
However, I also am all of the things on the second list.

In our conversation, we determined that all I have to do when I'm in the space of the first list is CHOOSE to shift to my other ways of being.
In a moment, when fearful, I can CHOOSE to be vulnerable .. that gives me more choice: I can stay with the fear, and cry and curl up and vent (sometimes very useful) ... OR I can choose to be optimistic, remember how passionate I am and ask for help.

The way through (there is no "way out") .. is to CHOOSE in the moment how you want to be. Try it on, see if it works.

Reinvention is not easy, but it is very rewarding. Remember what I often say:
"Don't die with your dreams inside you." ... take on the life, job, relationship, etc that you want ... have it your way.

Have a great weekend.
Tootles,
Ann