1The List of Re-Invention

Before you begin re-inventing yourself, you need to know what you want to change and what you want to stay the same. Begin by making yourself a list of your pro’s and con’s. This list should not contain anyone’s opinion of you, it should only be how you feel and think. You won’t be happy with your re-invention if you go by what your best friend or significant other says about you. The list should contain every detail about you; your schedule, your health, your clothing, your hair, your work, your leisure time, and everything else that you can think of. This self-evaluation process can take some time, perhaps even a number of weeks, so don’t expect to have your list done in a couple of days. You need time to be specific and to know what works for you and what doesn't and you need to be completely honest with yourself. Once you have finished, be sure to re-evaluate your list to ensure that you have written down everything that you wanted to.

In order to know how to work on your dislikes, you simply need to write on your list how you would change these things that you don’t like. What would you do different? Remember, if you cannot change them, you need to accept them. However, you can still change your perception on the things that can't be changed, and instead you can accept them in a positive way so that it does not influence your opinion about yourself.

Once you have identified all the changes that you want to make, you are halfway there. The next step is to implement these changes, which is generally not something that will happen overnight. Little by little, as you work on these thing, your life will start to shift in the way that you want it to.

2Clear the Path

Before you begin making the changes, be aware of the things that could potentially block your path to change. If you have a family then you will be distracted easily by their demands, which will take away from your planning time. To avoid this, you may want to designate thirty minutes each night before you go to bed or before everyone gets out of bed in the morning, to work on your list. During this time you can concentrate on you, and only you, and the changes that you want to make.

3Establishing Goals

It is important to set a time-frame in which to accomplish everything, otherwise you will be working on your list from now until eternity. Give yourself three to six months for the changes to begin. Depending on the time of year, you may want to make it a New Year’s resolution, so you can begin the New Year off on the right foot. You will also want to ensure that you stick to your ultimate goal and do not get distracted. Life presents many distractions, some expected and some unexpected, but do your best to avoid and overcome all obstacles, because in the end your hard work WILL pay off.

Establishing goals and time-frames is crucial, but you also need to make sure that they are realistic. For example, you may want to focus on changing just one or two things each week, in order to concentrate on solely on those new changes. Devote ample time on your changes in order to make them a fixed success. If you rush through your changes, chances are they will not stick.

4Implementing the Changes

When the time comes to implement your changes and begin the re-invention of yourself, you should out at a slow and steady pace. Too much of a change in a short period of time can sometimes lead to confusion and may send you spiraling out of control. On your list, number everything that you want to change in the order you want to change them. Changing the order of your list may make your life seem suddenly chaotic, so to avoid this you need to stick to it. You numbered your changes in this way for a reason.

5Reward Yourself

Be sure to treat yourself for all of your hard work and dedication that you have put into re-inventing yourself in the way that you want. Take some time to reward yourself according to what changes you have made. Your reward should be something that makes you happy and have something to do with your new change.

6Group Support

Let your friends and family know that you are re-inventing yourself, and that you wold like their complete support while you make the changes. You may even wish to invite your friends to re-invent themselves and do it as a group effort. No matter how old you are, you can make the changes you need to in order to live a happy life the way that you want to live it.

7Don't Lose Sight

Over the years you may lose sight of who you are, and often without thinking you change to adapt to your immediate environment. Now is the time to get the real you back. If you find that a certain change is too hard to make, modify the change. You can still change that particular problem but you may need to do it in a different way. When you have trouble changing something, it is usually because it can not or should not be changed. If you need to, you can always ask for a second opinion from someone who you know will be completely honest with you.

It’s also important to keep a journal during these days of re-invention. This way you can record your progress If you find yourself going back to your old ways, you may want to read your journal to refresh your memory of how hard you worked to reach your goals. Then you can promise yourself not to go back there again, and instead move on. This change is happening because you need it to. Don’t let any obstacle stand in your way. You will feel so good about yourself when the changes are done.