“Reinvent Yourself” – Prof. M.S.Rao

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein.




Robert failed in business and was bankrupt. He was left penniless. He moved to another place where one of his friends helped in arranging accommodation. He joined in a new place with his family. He deeply analyzed for some time for the causes of failure in business. Having good academic qualification, he joined in an educational institution as a teacher. He never regretted about his failure but learnt lessons from them and quickly moved to the next stage and reinvented himself as a teacher. That is the power of education and reinvention.

There are many people like Robert who move on to the next position without brooding over the problems and reinvent themselves successfully. Reinvention is essential not only for individuals but also for companies so as to survive and succeed in the competitive world. With the rapid changes taking place across the world due to technological inventions, reinvention is the key to survival and success. The only thing constant in this world is change and it can be affected only by constantly reinventing oneself. Continuous and constant reinvention helps in coping up with changes that take place in the external environment resulting into achieving all-round success. Let us now know what is all about success in this regard.


What is Success?

“Don't reinvent the wheel, just realign it.” - Anthony J. D'Angelo

You can have anything you want if you really want and are willing to sweat out. Nothing is impossible. Why some people achieve success in their lives is a clear indication that everyone can achieve whatever they want. Find out the path of the successful people and how they reached their goals. What made them stand apart from the rest? Find out their qualities and characteristics. Find out what are the qualities commonly connecting you with such personalities. Acquire what you do not have and follow their path without focusing too much on success. Once it is done consistently and regularly then you don’t have to run behind success rather success will run behind you.


Ron’s Reinvention:

“The only thing new is you finding out about something. Like nothing's really new, but you reinvent it for yourself and find your inner voice.” - Mike Watt

Ron was laid off as a researcher and he immediately reinvented himself. It was an opportunity to renew himself and follow his dreams of teaching. He felt like it was a boon in disguise as he basically had passion for teaching and training. Many people in the organization felt upset over the sudden closure. But Ron was basically highly motivated and optimistic who always looked at the opportunities in every adversary. It took some time for him to get out of the habits of a researcher as the profession needed activities such as sitting with the computer system for long time for searching material in the internet. Besides, he was in the comfort zone for a long time. Gradually, he came out of the comfort zone and leveraged his research skills for blending with teaching and reinvented himself as a successful faculty. Ron’s transformation from being a researcher to a faculty had been smooth as he was adaptable and flexible and knew the knack of taking the best out of his past experience.


Lincoln’s Reinvention:

Take real life examples wherein people rose from nowhere to number one position. Abraham Lincoln reinvented himself number of times. He was almost self-educated without formal school education. He was a businessperson for a brief period where he failed. He learnt lessons and reinvented as a lawyer where he was successful. Subsequently he joined in politics where he had several successive lows. But he was not dejected over his failures. He constantly reinvented himself with the changing political scenario and ultimately became the first Republican and the 16th President of America. Lincoln’s success was the result of constant reinvention.


How to Reinvent Yourself?

“I constantly try to reinvent my sensibilities and my ideas. I enjoy some of the satisfaction that I get when I feel good about what I've done. But the process is quite lonely and quite painful.” - Vincent Gallo

• You have to dream big and afford big.
• You need to have lot of flexibility and adaptability.
• Break your mental barriers and limits.
• Look at successful people who continuously reinvented themselves. Take them as role models as it provides you a source of inspiration and motivation.
• Be clear what you want in life. Set out your goals and get into action.
• Spend some time each morning picturing what you will be doing and it converts into reality.
• Go for regular reading as it opens your mental windows.
• Cultivate the habit of journaling daily. It not only demonstrates your perseverance but also keeps you focused.
• When you merely sit, things don’t happen. Take action, then you will find how things will happen according to you.


Conclusion:

“People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.” - Warren G. Bennis

In the Hindu epics, Lord Vishnu had several incarnations. All human beings should reinvent themselves with the changing times. As body changes from cradle to grave, the human mind should also reinvent accordingly. You need to mould your ideas for reinvention. Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing and expecting different results. To get different results, you need to put in efforts differently. It again calls for continuous reinvention on your part.

Today turbulent times call for constant reinvention for companies and individuals as well. Reinvention is the mantra for success. If you don’t reinvent with changing times you stand isolated. Life is short and there is no room for regrets. Life comes only once and try your level best. Don’t brood over your failures. Failure is only a comma, not a full stop. Learn lessons from them and proceed forward. Realize the universal truth that every fall has a rise. Have firm faith in yourself. Do something for others. Serve others. Help the needy. Make difference in the lives of others. Leave a mark behind.


The End