Ep25: Why 'Starting Over' is Holding You Back: The Hidden Power of Your Past | Jack Trama | Mindset Reinvented

Is the thought of starting over stirring up anxiousness and fear inside of you? 

Yes, I get it, because I remember when I hit a crossroads in my own career, and I had spent years in one industry and felt the urge to pivot into something completely different. And at first, I thought I needed to start from square one.

But as I went through this journey, I realized that every skill, every failure, every challenge from my past was actually building a foundation for my future. So, today, we're going to explore the power of this idea of reinvention, and we're going to redefine what it means to reinvent yourself. We're going to dive into some of the psychology behind it, and we're going to be looking at some inspiring examples of successful reinventions, and we're going to discuss some strategies on how you can harness your own experiences to create a brand new chapter in your life.

So, if you're ready to see your past not as a limitation, but as your greatest asset, hang on. Let's dive right in.

Before we get started, let's talk about what we really mean when we say reinvention. Traditionally, the idea of reinventing oneself has often been associated with starting over, wiping the slate clean, and beginning anew. It's seen as a process of becoming someone entirely different.

What if I told you that your past isn't baggage, but a treasure trove of wisdom waiting to be unlocked? Think about that for a moment. We often talk about starting over or turning a new leaf, as if we need to erase our past in order to move forward.

But what if the key of reinventing yourself isn't about starting from scratch, but about leveraging every single experience that you've ever had?

Because true reinvention isn't about erasing who you were. It's about evolving who you were. It's not about discarding your past, but about reframing and repurposing your experiences. Think about it like this. If life were a book, reinvention is not about ripping out all the previous chapters and starting a new book.

It's about using those previous chapters as the foundation for an exciting new plot twist. Every experience that you've had, every skill that you've developed, every lesson that you've learned, they've all been a part of your unique story and can contribute to your reinvention. So this perspective on reinvention is empowering because it acknowledges that you're not starting from zero. You're starting with a wealth of experience, insights and abilities that you've accumulated throughout your entire life. Your past isn't a burden to shed, but a toolkit to leverage.

So, as we talk about this today, hold on to this new definition of reinvention. Because it's not about becoming someone new, but about becoming someone more authentic, maybe evolved version of yourself, informed by everything that you've been through and learned along the way.

Now that we've redefined reinvention, let's explore a little bit about the psychology behind it. So why is it that we feel the need to reinvent ourselves? And why is it often such a challenge?

I think the desire for reinvention often stems from a fundamental human need for growth and self actualization. We have an innate drive to become the best versions of ourselves. But this desire can sometimes conflict with another powerful psychological force, which is our need for consistency and stability.

Brains are interesting because they're wired to seek patterns and maintain consistent self image. And this is why change, even positive change, can feel uncomfortable. It's why the idea of starting over can seem appealing, because it gives us permission to shed our old identity entirely. But remember, true reinvention isn't about becoming someone else. It's about growth. It's about evolution, which means integrating new aspects into our existing self concept.

And another psychological factor that's at play is our relationship with our past experiences. We often categorize our experiences as either good or bad, useful or useless. But in the context of reinvention, our experiences have potential value. That job that you thought was a waste a long time ago, it might actually have taught you crucial skills for your new path, the relationship that ended painfully - it's likely offered you valuable lessons about yourself and others. 

So if you understand these dynamics which are at play all the time, we can approach reinvention with more compassion and wisdom. We can actually recognize that discomfort is a natural part of growth and that our past, every aspect of it, is valuable as it shapes our future.

So let's talk a little bit about some real world examples of some people who have successfully reinvented themselves because they leveraged their past experiences versus discarding them. Julia Child's perfect example, because before becoming a world renowned chef and a television personality, she worked in advertising and then later in intelligence during World War Two.

And it was then that she discovered her passion for cooking in her late thirties. But she didn't discard her past. Instead, she used her communication skills from advertising and her approach from intelligence work to create a very unique, influential culinary career. You can look at Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He successfully reinvented himself multiple times. He went from being a bodybuilder, to an actor, to a politician. He went through each transition and he carried forward every skill and experience from his previous roles. His discipline from bodybuilding served him in acting. Yet his charisma and his public Persona helped him on stage in his acting career and his political career.

I can go on and on, but these are experiences that teach us that it's not about discarding our past, but about reframing and repurposing our experiences. And each of these people, they looked at their past not as limitations, but as unique advantages that set them apart in their new ventures.

So the question becomes, how do you apply this as you understand the best way to reinvent yourself? Well, a few strategies that we can discuss actually will leverage those experiences of yours so that you can reinvent yourself into the person that you want to be. 

So first thing I would suggest is do a life audit. Sit down with something, a cup of coffee, your favorite beverage, and jot down all the experiences that you've had, all the skills that you've picked up along the way, even the challenges that you faced, because it's amazing what might surface, the skills that you've picked up, the hobbies that you've enjoyed, these are all useful in professional life.

There's reframing. You know how we tend to dismiss certain experiences as irrelevant or negative? What if we looked at those again with fresh eyes this time? Because it's incredible how something once thought to be a waste of time could actually be preparation for a future opportunity. And another powerful tool is identifying those skills that are transferable.

So, if you think about these skills as your personal swiss army knife, they work in all sorts of situations, whether it's communication, problem solving, leadership, all of these can pop up and become very valuable in the most unexpected areas of life. The key is having a growth mindset. It's about believing in your ability to learn and adapt.

So, if you think about it, we've all learned and have adapted so much in our lives. Every experience that we've had is proof that we can do it again and again. One of the most exciting parts of reinvention is finding connections between the past and the desired future. So instead of trying to fit into some predefined mold, it's about looking at how unique of a background we have that can actually contribute to a brand new path.

And that's really where the powerful part of this is. Does any of this resonate with you? What do you think? Because as we wrap up, I want to come back to this one central idea. And if nothing else, this is what you take away from this episode, and that is, reinventing yourself isn't about starting over.

It's about starting with all this rich experience that you've gathered, your past. It's not holding you back. If anything, it's your secret weapon in creating your future. So we've covered a lot of ground here. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Please let me know what you think. Any questions about anything that we've talked about today, any of your feedback is valuable.