| It seems like celebrities like Tyra Banks, Alec Baldwin, | | | | 1. Take Responsibility. You are the only one who can |
| Ali Velshi and even Jerry Rice have heeded my | | | | create the life you dream of, want or deserve. No |
| advice and re-invented their careers to maintain a | | | | matter how bleak it may appear your life's direction is |
| vibrant career path. OK, I didn't actually talk to them | | | | determined by your attitude. |
| but I have been saying for a while: drastic times call | | | | 2. Work backwards. That's right. First determine what |
| for re-invention. Most successful people have all | | | | you want your life to look like. What would you like |
| re-invented their careers and are thriving in this | | | | to spend time doing, how much income will you need |
| economy. Reinvention is the 21st century way of | | | | to create the life you want. Dr. Valerie Young calls |
| reviving a dead career path. It requires tenacity, a | | | | this finding your "life-work" balance. Not to be |
| nose for opportunity and confidence in this economy. | | | | confused with work-life balance. |
| Mark Burch suggests, "There are jobs that have left | | | | 3. Become an Opportunity Analyst. Opportunities do |
| that will never return because of progress. There are | | | | not sit around waiting for you to pick them up. An |
| also jobs today that didn't exist five years ago. | | | | opportunity is a good position, chance, or prospect |
| Likewise, there are jobs that don't exist right now | | | | that allows for advancement and ultimately success. |
| but will in the next few months to a couple of | | | | 4. Prepare for your opportunity. Self evaluation allows |
| years." What do these dynamic changes mean for | | | | you to distinguish between technical job related skills |
| you? It means this is the time to perform a career | | | | and transferable skills you may possess. Evaluate the |
| change to maintain your relevance in the marketplace. | | | | Job Market and identify opportunities where your |
| So how do you maintain an edge and maintain a | | | | skills fit. |
| life-work balance? In a word - REINVENTION. | | | | 5. Take Action. Researching the latest job trends, |
| If it appears that your career is going nowhere and | | | | investigating viable companies and performing |
| you're stuck on the treadmill trading time for money | | | | informational interviews are great. If you don't take |
| then you could benefit from re-invention. Re-invention | | | | action on the information it would all be a waste of |
| is basically inventing a new career path with your | | | | time. You will only benefit when you take action. |
| existing "tools". Sometimes your new path may not | | | | For this economy there are only benefits to |
| be an "established" career but falls in the category of | | | | reinventing yourself in a new career. Benefits that |
| an emerging trend. A re-invention allows you to | | | | include identifying (or creating) a lucrative career |
| create a career path that suits the life you want. | | | | opportunity that did not exist before, taking control |
| Just How Do You Re-Invent Yourself? | | | | of your life and achieving a permanent work-life |
| | | | balance. |