My 5 Favorite Reinvention Tips
Reinvention is the overarching theme of my books as well as my life. The main characters in all of my novels are all stuck, each in her own way, and trying to find their next chapters. I was stuck for decades until I finally found the courage to write my first book. My nonfiction books also share what I’ve learned on my own journey, that it’s never too late to shine on.
Reinvention doesn’t have to be a massive, earth-shattering change, although it certainly can be. Making the perfect little tweak to your existing life is reinvention, too, and sometimes that’s all you need. It’s your life and you can reinvent it any way you want to.
Here are my 5 favorite reinvention tips:
- Rise above the negativity. Whatever the motive, lots of people will tell you why you can’t or shouldn’t do whatever it is you want to do. You just have to decide to do it anyway. You might want to protect yourself a bit in the beginning, too. I didn’t tell anyone about my first novel until it was finished. You don’t need anyone’s permission—just do it!
- Be who you really are. The big buzz word these days is branding, but I think of it as authenticity. This is the first job I’ve ever had where I wasn’t pretending, or at least trying to pretend, to be a slightly different person. Who I am and what I write are totally in sync. There’s tremendous power in that.
- Confound expectations. If everybody’s doing it, it’s already been done. Put a little surprise in everything you do. Originality counts.
- Do something nice for someone. It’s easy to get needy when you’re struggling to figure out what’s next, but many of the great things that have happened to me were triggered by something nice I did for someone else. People talk—your actions determine what they say. As one of my characters once said, karma is a boomerang!
- Get your tech together. Everything you need to know about the world you want to conquer can be found online. Get your computer skills up to speed—fast! Take a class or find a computer mentor. Research. Network. Create an online presence and start connecting on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. The Internet is a great equalizer—and there are so many opportunities out there just waiting for you to take advantage of them!
Talk to you soon!
CLAIRE COOK wrote her first book in her minivan at 45. At 50, she walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of Must Love Dogs, starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, which is now a 7-book series. Claire is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 Amazon bestseller of 21 books, including her latest, LIFE GLOWS ON: Reconnecting With Your Creativity to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life.
