Throughout life, we go through many stages and personas. Some may say changing or altering yourself is a negative thing, but I say it’s evolution.
Reinventing yourself is both healthy and positive as you go throughout your life journey.
In this October issue of Elle Magazine, singer and actress Selena Gomez discusses her decision to reinvent herself as a female celebrity in the spotlight. She explains she wanted to challenge herself and to stop caring about what everyone thinks about her music, career and love life.
I think all women can view Selena’s bravery as positive advice to follow.
We’re not confined to anyone’s stereotypes or boxes, and we don’t need to fit into anyone’s mold. The only people we have to answer to is ourselves.
We may be surrounded by people during our lives, but at the end of the road, we all leave alone. We should only be concerned with making ourselves happy.
Throughout my life, I’ve reinvented myself numerous times. But, at the end of the day, I never let go of my morals and values.
There were times when I felt I was going down the wrong path and turning into a person I personally disliked. And I know that no matter what, I need to put myself first.
Even if I conformed to fit into a crowd, or went with the flow of my friends, I knew I had to be happy with myself.
Reinventing yourself may seem like a lot of work, and that's because it is. It doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a process.
1. Start with your core values and morals.
Whenever you reinvent yourself, it doesn’t mean you change completely as a person.
We’re all brought up with core values and morals that no one or no changes can shake.
For me, my family and my work ethic are two aspects of my life that no one can take away from me. Even if I’ve decided to reinvent myself, neither of these two things will be hindered.
In fact, they actually shape my reinvention entirely. I’m able to turn myself into a hard worker and a loving daughter, sister and aunt.
2. Surround yourself with people who match your visions.
They say your vibe attracts your tribe, and it’s true.
If you’re surrounding yourself with friends and people who are only dragging you down and hindering who you really want to be, you have to trim the fat.
Sometimes, letting go of friends seems like a hard or selfish thing to do, but if these friendships are turning you into someone you no longer like or want to be, then it’s actually selfless and healthy.
Growing up, I had a bad reputation because I dated older guys, hung out with trouble-making girls and had a lot of bad habits.
But as I got older, I realized just how much the people you’re associated with affect people’s opinions of you.
Whenever I felt like a friendship was a negative cloud over my life, I had no problem distancing myself completely.
3. Set goals, and crush them.
There’s no better feeling than achieving something for yourself. When you’re looking to reinvent yourself, you need to challenge yourself, just like Selena said.
Whether that means going out for a position you may be underqualified for, or asking out a person you think may be out of your league, you need to take the plunge. You'll never know what's around the corner if you don’t take a peek.
4. Find your passions.
Reinventing yourself should really be about one thing and one thing only: your happiness.
We hear stories all the time about how people major in certain areas in college, and then they have completely different careers.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making big changes like that. It’s a part of life, and it’s a process.
I started working in TV production out of college. Even though I was convinced I wanted to be in TV for all four years of my education, working in the industry wasn’t for me.
So, I reinvented myself completely and went into editorial journalism instead. A lot of people thought I was crazy for letting go of a job without a back-up plan, but it was nobody’s business but my own.
I’m reinventing myself, not anyone else.
