Necessity is the mother of
RE-invention. What we created once: we can re-create if we need to. According to Pamela Mitchell, founder of The Reinvention Institute.
(F) What do you think is behind the trend of women reinventing themselves?
(P) The recent recession and the associated job loss have people worried about what's next. It opens the question "What do I do next?" There's a feeling that a lot of what was secure has been taken away.
(F) Job security is a popular topic, but there really is no such thing is there?
(P) No, there isn't. Security really is the knowledge and ability to respond to whatever life throws you. Anything outside of you can disappear.
Interestingly enough, three months prior to September 11, 2001, I looked around my Tribecca loft and thought, "What is all this stuff? I created it; if it disappeared could I create it again?" Three months later I was faced with having to do just that.
We don't come into this world with jobs, money, and places to live, we create them for ourselves. What would stop us from creating them again, except the thought that we couldn't?
(F) What's the number one requirement for a successful reinvention?
(P) You have to be willing to take action without knowing exactly what the outcome will be. The process of reinvention constantly challenges you to go outside of your comfort zone.
People will say to me, "I want to know that I'll like it first." But, you can't know because you don't have enough information. The only way to get that information is to start actively investigating.
(F) A recent statistic shows that of the 7 million women-owned businesses, only 3% generate over a million dollars. It's often said that when women go into business there isn't enough "big thinking." Why might this be the case? What are the resources for thinking big?
(P) Napoleon Hill talks about the philosophy of having a "mastermind group." By this he means surrounding yourself with people who have a bigger vision. I don't know that women do that on a conscious level. Periodically ask yourself, "Am I surrounded by people who take me out of my box?"
(F) What else can you say about reinvention?
(P) Women are typically more willing to try something different than men are. This is why reinvention is so attractive to women over 40. My advice is to make reinvention about your next phase, not the rest of your life.
