"WHO ARE YOU?" - The Caterpillar to Alice...
Reinvention is a funny word right? I mean, by it's very definition it's "un-invent" something then "invent it" again!
This term has gained more popularity over the past decade. The need, the want, to be somebody else. To change the way people look at us.
Who doesn't want to be more exciting? Interesting? Smarter? Cooler? Attractive?
In a world of Facebooks and Instagrams and Tinders, being "ordinary" means you are losing!... Or, so we tell ourselves secretly anyway.
No one is immune this. Even if we don't say it out loud, we know down deep we want others to see us a certain way!
But how do you "re-invent" what you've already invented over the course of your life?
Physical Change?
This is easy. Anyone can change the way they appear. And on the surface, there's nothing wrong with "mixing things up."
New clothes. A new hair cut. Tattoos. Piercings. Unique facial hair choice.
A change in your appearance can be a fun thing that makes you feel a little more daring. A little more outspoken. More Attractive.
I've played with my "look" for years (sorta). Back in high school, I was completely on the "J-Lo train" for a short time. And I had the look down to even some of the clothes she wore in her videos. Thank god that didn't last long, but it was fun to experiment with different looks.
And if you are a celebrity, you have the means and resources to make as many changes to your appearance as you please. Which is why so many of them look drastically different every time you see them!
But when you see the extremes of some changes, it's a psychological warning sign that there is a problem.
I'm not here to condemn plastic surgery or augmentations. I think its shitty to do that to people who just want to feel better about themselves.
What I am saying though is, when people CHOOSE to continue to go under the knife repeatedly, even against a doctors order, then you have an issue! This goes beyond reinvention, and becomes more of a cry for help.
Changing your look is just a window dressing. Cause at the end of the day, you are still you regardless of your make-over. And ultimately, isn't true change!
Mental Evolution
Reinvention starts and ends with you deciding "why" you want to be, instead of "who" you want to be! Why is it important for you to change who you are? What's so wrong with you that you need to be something different.
THIS IS NOT ME JUDGING AT ALL!
It's a question I've asked myself for over 30 years now. But it wasn't till I started asking myself "why?"
Is it because:
- You want to impress a certain person or people?
- You think it will make you more marketable and rich?
- You believe your life will suddenly not suck anymore?
I asked myself these question MANY times during my life.
And eventually I realized it wasn't about being a "different me" it was just about FINDING the "real me!"
Conclusion
Maybe you are still trying to find who you really are. And it's easy to hear buzzwords like "reinvention" or "new you" and think, "hey, I need to do that!"
But maybe, just maybe, you don't need to reinvent yourself, you just need to finally INVENT yourself! Find out who you really are and BE that person!