Whether during a mid-life crisis, or another personal transition, one may choose to reflect on their life and create a significant change – perhaps changing their career, hairstyle, or lifestyle (like your meat-eating friend who suddenly turned vegan.)
This can be seen as a reinvention.
Madonna could be seen as the “grandmother of reinvention” because every few years she changed her “look” and artistic expression from “Papa Don’t Preach” to “Vogue”, from singer to actress-director. She continuously kept us guessing.
Although, one may say Madonna reinvented herself, I say she pivoted.
Why?
Reinvention is the action or process through which something is changed so much that it appears to be entirely new.
Pivot is a movement in a different or new direction while keeping one foot (the pivot foot) in contact with the floor (like a pivot in basketball.)
So Madonna kept her foot in singing, while she explored other genres and forms of expression (acting, directing, documentaries).
A reinvention, on the other hand, would be the “Like a Virgin” songstress becoming a nun!
Here’s a pivot I’ve made recently:
I’ve taken my 12+ years of book writing expertise and 10+ years of facilitation experience, and penned a book with co-author Dr. Raye Mitchell to address sexual harassment in the #MeToo era. The book’s focus, in addition to the accompanying corporate trainings, is on mastering healthy conversations, and engaging participants in real-time intervention, conflict resolution, and deescalation.
So, are you ready to pivot and create something new?
You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bath water. You can, instead, create intentional pivots that leverage your previous expertise/experiences, and use them to chart a new course!
Who’s ready?
If you want to write a book as part of your pivot strategy, email me@aliciadunams.com to set up a complimentary strategy call. I would love to be of support.