The Secret to Reinvention: Start Before You're Ready

Are you ready for a transformation? Are you being pulled towards something new? Maybe you want to change careers, create a personal brand, or trade your 9 to 5 to start your dream business. These transformative experiences require you to shed one identity for another—who you are for who you’re going to be. Essentially, you are reinventing yourself.  

Stepping into a new identity requires exploring unfamiliar areas of yourself, going outside of your comfort zone and leaping into the unknown. Reinvention is difficult and uncomfortable, and we often want to ensure that the outcome will be successful before we begin, put the time in and put ourselves out there. The reality is that success is never guaranteed. But anyone who has ever changed direction and found success had to start before having all of the information, before they were ready.  

Perfectionism is holding you back

Perfectionism may seem like a trait that confident, successful people have, painting a picture of a hard worker with high standards, that accepts and produces nothing short of perfection. But the truth is, perfectionists carry a lot of insecurities. They are highly critical of themselves and are afraid to make mistakes, to fail, to be judged, and possibly afraid of success. 

Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.

- Harry Truman

Think about this: How many ideas are squashed before they even get a chance to breathe? Those who work from a place of fear and need perfect conditions to start are keeping themselves from fulfilling their highest potential. They achieve less than they are capable of because they don’t give themselves the freedom to create, try and fail. 

How can you create a new life—reinvent yourself—if you’re not willing to make mistakes?

Mistakes teach us valuable lessons; they redirect us and help us grow into the version of ourselves we’re striving to become. To grow into the new you, you must be willing to take a leap of faith before having all of the information.

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

- Ecclesiastes 11:4

Execution creates momentum

Action is a key component to reinvention, but sometimes our actions feel like they’re moving us forward when they’re actually keeping us on a hamster wheel. Do you love to research, plot and plan in the name of progress? Don’t be fooled; this is fear masked as action. All reinventions require preparation, but it’s very easy to get stuck in this phase and delay more meaningful actions. 

In my community for bloggers and content creators, Madrid Blogger Network, I often hear prospective bloggers say that they’ve been meaning to start a blog, but are deciding on the best platform, designing their logo or waiting until they have a handful of blog posts written before they start. While this may sound reasonable, these actions are holding them back. If you want to become a blogger, you need to blog. There is no momentum created from endless preparation; change comes from execution. 

Success is like a snowball. It takes momentum to build and the more you roll it in the right direction the bigger it gets.

-Steve Ferrante

If you want to change careers, you need to acquire the necessary skills for your new vocation. Instead of researching endlessly for the best online course, pick a course and start. Just start learning. What if you didn’t pick the best course? That’s okay. By executing your decision to learn something new, you are making progress. 

Execution leads to momentum and momentum leads to reinvention. Execute your ideas and dreams before you feel ready. It takes courage to start before you have all the answers and before you know whether you will succeed. 

Start before you’re ready

You need courage to start something imperfectly. People might judge. You’ll feel exposed, unprepared and even doubt yourself, but trust that imperfect action is what sparks success. It won’t come immediately and you will face setbacks, but consistent execution that aligns with your goals creates momentum that will only compound overtime. Pushing past fear, accepting uncertainty and embracing failure all has an ROI.

Reinvention is possible. If you feel stuck in life or pulled towards something greater, the magic formula for creating new possibilities is taking that first step into the unknown. Don’t get stuck from not knowing what you’re doing or not having all the answers, just do it. It’s by doing that we find the answers and create opportunities for ourselves.  

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

- Zig Ziggler

The process of shedding your current identity includes making mistakes and pivots which help you let go of your imposter syndrome and build the confidence to feel like you’ve earned your new self. 

Reinvention takes commitment and consistency. Just start, because in time you’ll excel in your new career, position yourself as a subject matter expert and you’ll have a business.

Reinvent yourself and change your life

Don’t waste time thinking about who you want to be, start becoming that person through your actions. Telling people you’re thinking of starting a business versus starting one—well, only one of these situations actually leads to change.

If your inner voice is telling you that you’re meant for something more, that your true calling is sitting on the other side of fear, but you’re not sure how to get there, then this is how: take the first step and just start. 

Guest writer Cepee is a social media marketer and community builder. In 2017, she founded She Hit Refresh, an online community of over 5,000 women age 30 and over who want to break free from routine and start a life of travel.