For October’s meeting, we screened RE:Invention, a documentary short by Catherine Goerz and crew about how some are using the economic crisis for personal transformation. The discussion that followed covered a lot of ground, but a couple interesting themes emerged for me including the difficulty of leaving a career that pays for one that has meaning, how transformation is a privileged experience when for some just surviving is an accomplishment, how important it is to see others making changes as inspiration. Also, many people shared their own stories of transformation with lessons learned.
Later Catherine and I brainstormed the below tips for those who want to Re:Invent. The below is by no means a comprehensive. Feel free to add to these ideas in comments.
Catherine:
-Let go of your thoughts and beliefs around who you think you are. Be willing to release your past identity and open to new ways of living and working.
-Let the old structures of your life that may not serve you any more – your job, income, living situation, relationships, etc.- dissolve so that you make space for the new structures to be seeded.
-Create a powerful vision for what you want to manifest in your life. Set a clear and aligned intention to move towards it and allow in the people and situations that will bring it into form. Then let it go.
-If you have lost your job and are living on a reduced income, reassess what you need to be happy and provided for. You may not need a high-paying job, a car or material items to live an inspired and meaningful life.
-Trust the process of transformation and remind yourself that everything is temporary. What may seem like a big impossible situation will shift over time and reveal totally new situations and opportunities for reinvention.
-Be curious about what’s next. Approach the changes in your life with a sense of openness and curiosity. Don’t take anything too seriously.
-When dealing with a crisis, don’t resist the changes that are being foisted upon you. Embrace the challenges and notice your capacity for resiliency and how well you can adapt to new situations when you don’t fight them.
-Observe how you are evolving as time goes by and stay committed to transformation to see it through.
Neal:
-Don’t RE:Invent alone. Form a peer group for the changes you want to make. Or enlist your friends’ support. Let them know what you’re doing. Good friends will get behind you.
-If you don’t know what you want in life, then begin an exploration. Go outside your circle of friends to discover new ideas and people.
-Assess what’s truly interesting to you. Focus in on your passion or passions. Sometimes reflecting on past experience can help you understand what turns you on. Sometimes new experiences are needed.
-When you have an idea of what interests you, then immediately find the community around your interest. Do not wait. Become a part of it. The best way to become part of a community is to contribute something that’s needed. Volunteer. No job is too small to start. Small things lead to big things.
-Be patient. Be persistent. Big changes take time.
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