How many times did you reinvent yourself in your lifetime?
I’m asking this because I saw this week the new movie by Clint Eastwood the Gran Torino and I’ve been following Clint Eastwood since his beginnings as an actor in class-B spaghetti westerns.
In my book The Alchemist, Santiago, the shepherd boy, has to reinvent himself in order to get to his goal. I have also been in this situation and had to reinvent myself many times.
So now I would like to know about you: How many times have you re-invented yourself and in which situations?
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We reinvent ourselves at each phase of life. With my kids growing up, i grows with them….when my life partner shares his thoughts and memory, i lives those moments and rediscover myself……when i meet with my friends and we discuss how much life has changed us….again i reinvent myself…….So many faces and so many moments and all of these helps me reinvent myself in a true but unconscious way…..
For me, experience is THE greatest psychologist in life.
With love
Marie-Christine
we need to reinvent ourselves on a daily basis, always aspiring to be Christ-like as we encounter life’s irritants . . . we need to re-act beyond our natural self . . . because God loves us that much to allow us to prove who we are in His eyes (precious) !
when thinking about reinventing oneself, the ideal must be to have a better life, to be happier… what else is there?
o si me he reinventado a mi misma y en algunas ocasiones voy a citar un ejemplo una vez estuve muy enferma casi me desvanecìa de la tristeza pues fui engañada y no lo podia creer ya que eso nunca estuvo en la lista de mis sufrimientos siempre creì lo suficientemente segura de mi y no daba crèdito a nada que pareciera lo contrario mas cuando tuve la certeza caì por ùltima vez y luego me levante tome todo lo que tenìa que tomar de mì lo bueno y me reinventè y me convertì en muy fuertemucho mas fuerte de lo que habìa sido en mi juventud y estoy aquì en un lugar que no depende de las acciones de otros para que yo sea feliz solo doy amor y si me demuestran bien y si no hay un millon de gente que necesita una mirada un saludo un vaso de agua para sentirse agradecido con la vida y yo estoy ahì feliz de recibir ese jesto lleno de amor delque recibe de mì y sin mirar a quièn eso me hace mas fuerte y agradezco a DIOS que me diò la fuerza para reinventarme
What is this site’s software, I wonder? Looks wonderful!
I think most people get the idea of the phrase “re-invent oneself” absolutely wrong. Re-inventing oneself is not about finding a new you, it’s not about changing yourself.
I personally believe re-inventing yourself is rediscovering your individuality, remembering exactly who you are and what you want.
It happens suddenly and mostly when we are on the verge of our abilities to bear any longer. It happens when we have lost our way but and our soul feels burdened by being forced to walk the wrong path.
In such situations people usually break down and fall into depressions, while all they need to do is listen to their inner voice and do what they feel like doing even if its quitting your job or shaving your hair. It can be anything.
So far my lifetime had lasted a total of thirteen years and seven months, but I have already reinvented myself several times.
Reinventing yourself isn’t usually something you do overnight. We are constantly changing, learning, and evolving. Reinventing myself has become somewhat of a habit of mine. One could say that time are changing, and so we should do the same, and while this makes sense it has not been the reason for my reinvention.
The first time I reinvented myself was between grade six and seven. I completely altered my outlooks on life and people, and as a result changed pretty much all aspects of my life. I changed from a superficial little twerp to one of the emotionally mature students in my class. I stopped caring about a lot of things that I thought didn’t matter.
The same thing happened last summer (I am in grade eight now). I started learning from the words of great people from history. I spend most of my free time learning about life and the world. Sometimes I just go for walks and reflect. Through all of this I am reinventing myself. It is something we all constantly do.
Now, maybe I’m wrong. My young age does merit a great deal of being told that I don’t understand things, but these are my thoughts.
I don’t think people should reinvent themselves, it’s never worked for my friends. I just think we need to be ourselves the best we can be, and is life not about finding and refining ourselves?
I became a spiritualist and then a survivalist within these last 6 months.
Then I chucked the survivalist and again see that I am a clean canvas. Free to be.
This design is steller! You obviously know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
I have just discovered ‘I AM’-I am daily seeing the power of being, doing and having-re-inventing and re-writing my personal history in order to live today-to make the past let me go and the future stop pulling me. I realized that whatever we say we are-we either remain or become-the path to a new life lie in allowing what we want to be true for it is often already there but masked by the blinders we put up to lie to ourselves because someone else told us we couldn’t, wouldn’t or shouldn’t-throw away the lies and see the truth
I’m in the process of reinventing myself. Or so I’d like to tell myself. I am currently jobless, with two finished bachelor studies and no company hiring me. I’ve ran a freelance practise in illustration, photography and video for about 6 years, but with little success.
I’ve pushed many people away from me because I am chronically depressed and I doubt too much. I drain people.
Yet I do try to change. I just don’t know where to start.
So I’ve just put everything I can do on a scale, trying to strip down to what exactly makes me tick and what would not be a negatively motivated choice. Instead of ” no I don’t want this or that” to “yes! I really want..”.
Problem is that I find loads of things interesting for a few months or years and then the challenge is either too big, so there’s no progression or I get bored.
I have made extensive lists of what I want to change, what I could do, what I should do, what I have to do.
Break this habit, stop thinking like this or that, do more this, try and be nice to people, be more tactic lalalalala…
But when it comes down to the specifics I just don’t know.
Or it’s just too much.
I feel as if my entire life I have been trying to escape, yet remaining comfortably in a state where I don’t have to change. I would love to be able to choose, but I fear just about anything can go wrong.This has led to me not leaving the house and stubbornly trying to work on projects of my own or work out what I’d like. Shying away from people and dragging myself out of bed every day.
Yet in two months time I hope to leave my hometown permanently for the first time in 29 years. Take on any job that comes along, just to make money and then hopefully find out what it is I’d really like.
The thing I’m most scared of, is that it might all blow up in my face. My boyfriend may change his mind, we might break up within two months (not that I want to, but having a nag around isn’t nice). I hate being dependent on people out of fear owing anything to them.
I really wish I could change this negative spiral, stop having to survive my environment and my moods.It has been years and years in lasting and I’m not even old!
I wish I had the trust that seems to come natural to many people. Stop being sorry for myself and so damn envious.
I kind of feel sorry for being a bit selfish, posting this while it’s supposed to be (I assume) about more positive things..
Thanks for reading my rant and I hope no one else has to go trough this and if you do(chances are there are), I hope you can accept help and manage to break the cycle!
i love the comment you made on “re-inventing” yourself. I have felt the same way for the majority of my life and it is nice to know that I am not alone.
This post is so amazing. It is exactly the way I feel.
Thank you. Every statement here applies to me as well, especially about me trying to escape everything and still being in a comfortable state. I even had to force myself to write this down. Some things are hard to accept in life, mostly our own faults. I just hope that I can soon find my real passion in life. I pray that this stagnant period in all our lives will soon be replaced by a more productive and meaningful life.
Hi Odd One!
firstly, choosing that name ‘Odd one’ gave me the feeling that this person must be unique for choosing such a name – grabbed my attention really!, people are different, not odd, you’re different.
i tell you what really worked with me:
1- stick to what’s bigger than you, learn from it, find analogies, stick to what makes you feel stronger.(Religion)our believes in god, the world around us, give us inner comfort and confidence.
2- what were your bachelors for? i mean – they must have absorbed much time, effort, redtapes, you must have had passion in something within, that triggered you taking that decision to take those bachelors, in that field of science, knowledge. how many times you applied for a company?! how many times they refused you?..why you think they refused you? do you know that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb after nearly 1000 failed trial, yet, they had never been wrong, but led him to success. you know why!, because he learned the lesson.
what you should do now, is to regather all you old resources, get your self back on track, make your self a great story..goooo apply again and again,,those companies never knew who they have just missed when they refused you..show them why.
anyway, stop constructing that disguised future (as i call) about the break up with your friend, why don’t you construct the positive one, when you get married, just imagine this moment in which your wearing that white dress.
less is more, don’t ever underestimate yourself..we were all born equal.
Love,
Hazem
This is exactly what i wrote for my blog a few months ago. The only difference is that i wrote half of it in indonesians, check it out:
http://lintangcahya.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/metamorphosis/
Well, i call this re-inventing self or so, a metamorphosis. There in that stage, we change, hopefully for the betterment. And well, humans are dinamic and therefore, we had changed a hell lot of times and would still change tons of times.
We cannot actually refuse the process of this metamorphosis itself in the first place, since the main objection of this metamorphosis is to adapt with the society. We actually are affected by our society. And so does our mind. And therefore, we changed.
The main problemos about this metamorphosis is that it would create deep hatred for our past self. As you stated in your other post, it’s because we were in the dark and therefore we cannot see the cobwebs there, now that we can see every dusty corner of ourselves, it’s easier for us to clean up. Yep.
And i think the main reason why God given us so many times of this metamorphosis thingie, is so that we would feel grateful for what we have now, seeing the dusty part of our past.
Haha, everything is connected! :D
Countless times I had situations at hand. Countless times I had to re-invent myself to live my life and go forth. I think if anyone knows everything about oneself….. well this sounds too idealistic and impractical.
Life to me is like a road. I know where it is heading. it leads to death. But life probably may never be the same for any two people as the combination of time, age, experience, circumstances etc. are always going to be different.
Re-inventing oneslf or constantly trying to understand more about oneself and the world is probably the most interesting part of living.
i am in a reinventing phase at present.After 14 yrs someone i have loved with all my heart have returned and for the first time admitted his love for me.But i am now married with two kids and being in a commited relationship i cannot reciprocate it.It feels good to be loved but duties r to be fulfilled.In the middle of such confusion i read one of Paulo’s lines about wrong path to be continued if it is for the happiness of so many others around us.But it Hurts a lot as i think he is the one for whom i have always been waiting…..guide me pse…
I’m in a situation where several, very strong signs have come to me, letting me know I am on the wrong path with my life. These strong, obvious signs keep ruining the education/career path I have chosen. I now realize I need a new path, a new way. But I do not know how to re-invent myself. I’m as low as can be, but don’t know how to go on from here. Where are my angels when I most need them?
I thought I hadn’t changed a bit since middle school! I’m in college now and it wasn’t until last night when I was talking to my friend about the origin of my email address that I realized how much I had changed.
In middle school I tried very hard to act tough and loud and obnoxious because it was cool. I was loud aggressive, rude, talked back to my teachers because I wanted to earn the respect of my peers. Then I moved and went to a school where that type of behavior wasn’t what was needed. I became quiet and tried to blend in. I made friends who were smart and social but who weren’t loud. They blended in with everyone.
In high school I dropped all of these and made friends with people on the field hockey team, tennis team, green schools, etc. They were very active in their school and though I was still quiet, I was much more active than I had been in middle school. My style changed and so did my mindset.
My final year of high school I got a boyfriend and I changed some more. He was into break dancing and anime and I tried to get into those things and fit in with his crew so that he would like me more. Epic fail. lol We broke up and I became more of a recluse. My first year of college I became more into clubbing, partying and fitting in. It didn’t feel right but hey! I had changed. Now I’m someone who’s into outdoorsy activities, meditation, travel, etc. It seems I’ve changed quite a bit and I never realized how much I had changed until that one question on the origin of my email address was asked. lol
I like to hope that every time I face, understand, accept, and incorporate a truth about myself that I was previously preventing my heart from acknowledging, that I have re invented myself again.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but the people who are in high positions have themselves had a lot of experiences in different fields. I believe you cannot ignore experiences -without them you do not know how the other person feels -. So why can’t it be that everybody can change jobs.I believe it will be a better world to live in. Most people who are in jobs with qualifications don’t stay as a rule, they go onto something different and their qualifications are not much of a use then.Besides when you stay in a job for too long you stagnate I think.
I am thinking about Prince Andrew he’s been shearing sheep has not he on one of his trip to New Zealand? and lots of other experiences in other countries.
The list is quite long with other people as well …
I am sure we will see the benefit in the long run.
Love
Oh, i now about reinventing!
I am a shrink of my own mother who suffers from depression, a friend of my boyfriend when he got degraded on work, a teacher to my sister when going throught puberty, a guide to myself when going throught real life… a parent to my own parents throught difficul moments and suffering.
Reinventing myself is the core of my existance, i know no other way to be.
To me, reinventing myself means to go through and live life and be willing to learn from my mistakes and grow and be accepting of change in my life (I know I have stuck on to being a particular type of person long because I feared of chang, so I fit into this particular ideology of the person I was).
Currently I am in a phase in my life (entering university) where change is the only norm. Despite all the pre-occured standards and views I had about the person I am, I find mself changing every day, but in a way spend too much time analyzing how I can change and be the person I want to be. However once I let this notion go of analyzing how it is and just trusting my core values and knowing that whatever happens I will remember what is important to me and my experiences are that which changes me (if I am willing to learn) then that is all I can do for the moment – learn, and change accordingly if something doesn’t fit.
I call it- “trial and error”
Every new person I meet gives me reason to reinvent myself because it is not just the life-changing events like becoming a mother or moving country that make us reinvent who we are but each and every thing we are exposed to because with every new person we meet and every new thing we do, we are changed. It is hard to stay the same when there is so much beauty, tragedy, sadness, wonder and love all around – I think we naturally absorb all these things and can never be the same after each new day has become the past.
I am…..
A child to my parents,
A women to the world,
A girlfriend to many boys
A wife to one man,
A sister to two siblings,
A sister-in-law / Daughter-in-law to essential stangers
A student
A graduate
A professional
A friend
A neighbour
An enemy
A mentor
A patient
A servent to God…..
I do not re-invent myself, as I grow I simply take on different facets in order to achieve my one complete self… never being something different, just adding something new….. I am what I am, but I have many more facets which I will be… A grandmother, A Mother-in-law, A caregiver, A teacher (to future generations) An investor… ect, ect, ect….
I am also a woman to the world.. a loveable daughter & daugher in law, sister to siblings, an adorable wife to a man, Mother to lovable daughters, a friend to my mates, an ethicle professional.. At one time i missed myself as a friend to opposite gender ..Can i become a thick friend to an opposite gender? …i tried to re-invent myself as A friend , mentor and a girl friend to someone!Honestly i re invent myself more mature and complete.Now i am a woman to god
lovely , i like what u wrote very interesting
Hi
Tomorrow i turn 24.
All my life since can remember i have not been happy with the person i am. It depresses me so much when my birthday comes around and i feel that i have not changed at all. i feel like i spend most of my time trying to change who i am but never quite getting there.
It frustrates me so much. I feel that my biggest problem is my toungue. I wish i could cut it out at times, but that is impossible or stupid
It gets me so down somwtimes my inability to change that i feel like i would be better off in the woods by myself where i am unable to hurt people with my words. I moved from home because it hought i would be a better person, or because my problems stem from the factt hat i live at home.
You can run physically but you can’t run from yourself. I still take with me all my bad habits and insecurities and harsh words that are not thought out at all. I am still the same stupid person who doesn’t think about what they say. I hate myself and what i do to people.
Independant observation from experience on this Blog, you will be loved unconditionally here. There is no judgement, only supportive thoughts. Likely there are many here that empathise with your pain, and send you love asking nothing in return. One for sure.
Dear Confused,
You must transcend your past in order to embrace your future. Any unkind words you have said back then are only growing stronger by you perpetuating them with your guilt and self-loathing. Talking abut yourself in this way no longer serves you, it never has. Words like “stupid” and verbs like “hate” do nothing but feed the part of you that continues to hurt yourself and others because of your lack of self-discipline. The way you treat yourself is a mirror for the way you will treat the world. If you are this unkind and unforgiving to yourself, it goes hand in hand with the way you are treating others.
Start from the source. Remember this always: You are worth loving and you are worthy of forgiveness for your past. But, you must be the first to love and forgive yourself. The moment you do, you will be able to take steps toward becoming a more congruent person. Your actions will match your words and both will flow directly from your spirit rather than from your ego-driven fear.
Every part of you deserves love, even the twisted up confused parts. They need the most love. So love them, hug yourself, speak to yourself with words of kindness and understanding and the moment you let go and embrace You for every beautiful and shadow part that coexists within you (for we all have light and darkness, but we need only to shine the light onto the darkness to maintain the positive balance of our strength and goodness), you will then be able to embrace the world with the same love and understanding. Take responsibility for your actions (by this I do not to mean take on the guilt of those actions, for guilt is an inactive place that will never propel you forward), by responsibility I mean – take action through your ability to respond. You choose every response to every situation, take the higher choice and choose an active, forward moving response that will move you one step forward instead of two steps back. The moment you do, those things you do not mean to say will no longer come out of your mouth – for your truth will rule your entire being and words that are false will no longer be able to get past your own inner sense of truth, let alone anywhere near your voice.
Heal yourself so that you may heal the world with the mark you leave and the lives you will touch.
I believe in you Confused. I send you love, forgiveness, and infinite understanding.
You do not have to run from yourself anymore. Face what you are afraid of with love and light and you will no longer live in confusion.
I wish you endurance on your journey back to self-love and congruency.
I am the same boat as you are. every thing that you said there its like me. because i think im hopeless and will never change, i sometimes pray to God that He will take me somewhere far far away from my family and the people i love because i dont want to hurt them anymore. im not that bad person, but sometimes bcause of the way i speak..
Dear Confused,
Forgive those person whom you have blotted against. Forgive yourself. By forgiveness we dont forgive others rather we forgive ourself from the burden of those events.
Forgive people, forgive yourself you will find solitude.
the passing of a relationship with a lover, regenerates me often but re-inventing is a new vision of oneself sometimes one and the same thing..intrinsically linked
penso che da quando ero bambina,non ho fatto altro che reinventarmi.Il mio reinventarmi ha rappresentato spirito di adattamento a situazioni nuove.Questo non vuol dire che non abbia lottato.Lottare per me e’ stato superare le sfide, cercando di proteggere il proprio io da compromessi deleteri.Vado spesso in dietro con la memoria,cosa vedo….lotte per affermare la mia dignita’ di bimba ,donna madre ,moglie, amica….Quello che mi ha permesso di reinventarmi e’ stato l’amore,trasformare la cattiveria subita in amore,di fatto ho amato intensamete anche tutti i lavori che ho cambiato,perche’ grazie a loro ho potuto imparare e apprendere dagli altri…Dalla VITA si apprende sempre e comunque nel bene o nel male..Suerte Paulo,a presto
Yo me reinvento dia a dia, momento a momento.
Honro mi presente y me enfoco en vivenciar mis momentos.
Para mi reinventarme es vivenciar cada momento. El pasado no existe mas, cuando me distraigo en algun evento pasado o me preocupo por algo en el futuro, me traigo presente, reinvento nuevos momentos y vivencio mi libertad, mi respiracion, mi salud, agradeciendo estar en paz con mi mente y mi presente.
how many times?
each day is reinventing oneself…each day is an experiment towards achieving our greatest state. we have so many characters but we have only one self where in these characters needs to be inharmony and in accordance to invent and reinvent the highest self.
each experiment, through risk and life exploration, is the process of reinvention. how many times? i believe its not the quantity that needs to be questioned, if it is once, twice or multiple, but the quality of reinvention and the process of achieving the goal.
a lifetime is enough, if we sieze each day maximizing the right process towards the right invention our self can be.
proposing the subject :how to reinvent one self? as related topic.
thank you!
hannah
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