No matter what you are going through, or have been through, doesn't have to define you. You do have the ability to reinvent yourself. If something isn't working for you, change it. As I have told you before, life doesn't come with a remote control, so if isn't to your liking get off your butt and change it. You maybe wondering what I am talking about here, because you know that I don't honestly think a person can change their core being, that they are essentially going to be the same. Now, let me try to explain a little further what I mean here. See it is important for you to get this. See, if you are a kind and caring, compassionate person, and have a huge heart. Nothing that you ever do or change about yourself is ever going to change that. All the exterior trappings, masks and changes that you display to the world is ever going to make a bit of difference. You are essentially going to remain that same kind, loving compassionate individual. So when I am talking about reinventing yourself, I guess the proper description would be that you can change your persona or image that others have of you. You have the ability to make the world around you see you differently. If you can change your modus operandi, the trappings that you have cloaked yourself in you entire life, it is possible to create a new persona or image that you will be identified with by your family and friends.
You are probably shaking your head at this point and wondering what the hell I am talking about. You might even thinking that I am talking to you in Greek, but I am not. I have a lot of friends in the entertainment industry people that are actors, actresses, singers, song writers, composers, and of course stage and theater performers that are constantly reinventing themselves and changing the way people see them. See each of them has an image that the world sees and recognizes them as. Look at Madonna, she has continually reinvented herself and her style year after year. This is what I am talking about. You too can reinvent how the world sees and views you. Let me break it down a little further for you. Many of you know me from my days running and selling drugs. Others know me before that, like from high school and the Navy. Each of these groups of friends have different views and ideas about me and the person I am. The people that were my friends from high school probably remember a geeky little guy, who had an extremely big heart, and a way of touching people so that they all remembered him. He was also funny, caring and made sure that he knew everyone and what was important in their lives. The folks from my past drug days, will probably have a different idea of who and what I am. But they will also tell you this, he is a guy with an extremely big heart, that cares about everyone, and helps anyone that he can. But he is a good business man, and makes money selling his stuff. For those people that remember me from when I worked for the State of Georgia, they will tell you that I am extremely smart, but I had a lot of drama that followed me and my life. One thing that they will also say is that I knew what I was about, confident and had very important people relying on my advice and suggestions as far as my job went.
Now, what does all of this mean, see at each phase of my life, I adapted the persona to fit the situation, but my core personality always show through. I am who I am and that is all I can be is a saying that I am very fond of, but that is my heart, my soul and my spirit. Who the world sees when I wake up in the morning is someone different. Perceptions play a very big role in our lives. As I have told you before we all wear masks. The outward face that the world sees, and this is what I am talking about when I am telling you that you can reinvent yourself. I went from a nerd to a preppy, to a business man, to a drug addict, to an educated writer and speaker that writes a blog and helps people all over the place. These are incarnations of who I am and the phases that I have been through and continuing in. You might even think of these as my way stops or resting places along the road of life. These are the phases or careers, or paths that I have taken. They aren't who I am, because I am still growing, maturing and adapting to life, so I am far from being complete and whole. For each new path, passage or road that I take I have to reinvent myself, or explore and define who and what I am. The world will identify with that persona. I might dress like my thug boyfriend and be considered white chocolate, you never know, it could happen. It is probably not very likely but stranger things have happened in my life.
Let me put this another way, the other day I was talking to you about patterns of behavior, and how we can break out of them. These patterns of behavior, are the actions and reactions that we most often take under certain situations. A persona, is similar to a pattern. A persona is the way we react and interact with others in a professional and sometimes in a social setting. Whereas a pattern of behavior is our typical reaction to stress, and emotional catalysts. Now, if you can understand this it shouldn't be too much harder to grasp the concept of reinvention. There are times when each of us reaches a point in our life where we feel like we are stagnate, stale and not enjoying life anymore. Or you might have a reputation of being a thief or a liar, a drug addict or something else unflattering. This might bring you to a point where you don't want to be identified like that anymore, or if you have a child and you want to be more responsible and respectable for their benefit. These are good reasons for reinventing yourself. No matter what your reason for wanting to change be reassured that you have the ability to change it, make a difference, and correct the misconceptions that others have of you.
Actors and stars do this all the time, they change their look, their sound or key identifiers that people use to associate with them. You and I may never get to the point in our life when we are a household name and everyone is going to know us, but it is possible to change the way your friends and family look at you and see you. Basically in a nutshell reinvention is making a change in your image or reputation. If you do that then you have changed your persona or have reinvented yourself. Simple as that.
As always my hopes and dreams are with you,
Uncle B
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