Reinventing ourselves when we have no other choice forces us to leave our comfort zone in order to survive. But what if we could foresee this moment?
Last update: February 15, 2021
What do we do when life doesn't go the way we want it to? Reinventing yourself is a great solution. This step can be encouraged by a crisis (in many cases it is), but this is not necessary to bring about a big change. Reinventing oneself outside of critical moments actually helps prevent situations of severe anxiety and stress.
Let's imagine that we have been working for five years in a company in which we find ourselves very well. During this time we have not taken any refresher courses or learned anything new. We "settled down" and contented ourselves with going to work and getting paid at the end of the month. Here we came one day and they fired us. The company had been at a loss for some time and had to reduce staff. Suddenly we find ourselves faced with a huge chasm.
In this situation, stress and anxiety can overwhelm us with great intensity. We can enter a spiral that drags us so low that we end up in a deep depression. Thus, not being able to do otherwise, it's time to reinvent yourself to survive: basic needs (food, home, hygiene, etc.) must be met. But couldn't we have foreseen it?
Get out of your comfort zone
The comfort zone is extremely quiet, therefore tempting. We feel safe until one day we discover that we have lost our job or even our partner. We then feel the need to act and seek alternatives that we had never thought of before.
This is a rather unpleasant situation, but it is above all an opportunity to open your eyes. We had long lived on autopilot, a concept that is described in the article published in the journal Psicoperspectivas.
However, leaving the comfort zone only when circumstances require it is not advisable. In these moments, the anxiety caused by the urge to find a solution is added that caused by the idea of ​​having to explore unknown territories. The ideal, therefore, is to act preventively by creating new opportunities even before you need them.
Reinvent yourself to create opportunities
Reinventing oneself does not mean changing one's essence. Instead of finding solutions to a problem that has already arisen (finding a new job because we have been fired), we should never stop moving even in the rosiest times, or what they seem. This will allow us to find valid alternatives and even anticipate change.
- Training makes you grow. Continuing our training allows us to acquire knowledge that will give us not only degrees and certifications, but also skills that will be useful for the company we are working for or for future ones.
- Gaining new knowledge offers its rewards. Specializing or learning something new (preferably related to your occupation) can lead us to get a promotion or find a better job.
- We don't necessarily have to hit rock bottom to search. We can check weekly for new vacancies or which apartments have been put up for sale. In this way we will not miss the best opportunities, with the security of still sailing in calm waters.
Plan B
Reinventing oneself has a great advantage: we will have a plan B, not to mention that C, D and E. With training, knowledge gained or opportunities grasped, it will be clear to us that we are creating alternatives to hold on to should our current situation change.
We can in fact initiate this change by playing in advance. For example, we could go to an interview for a new job, albeit with a pay similar to the current one; or we can develop other skills that interest us or contacts with professionals who can help us achieve our goals.
Reinvent yourself: those who have time do not wait for time!
When circumstances dictate, we can find ourselves facing difficult times with few resources available. On the other hand, if we stand still, we do not value our work within the company and we are satisfied with the salary and the boring routine we carry out every day, nothing new will ever happen. In other words, if we repeat the same actions every day, we will always get the same results.
Anticipating what might happen, therefore, is always a good strategy. We can take paths parallel to the current occupation, which will allow us to have an alternative and a lifeline in case of dismissal.
How many of us have ever reinvented ourselves to survive? How many times have we done it for the pleasure of learning, specializing or having more options? It certainly doesn't take four hours a day. Sometimes, with half an hour a day, you can become proficient in a new language or acquire a new competence. Don't wait, start right away.
