Since joining Coldwell Banker Bain in September of 2018 I have been enjoying watching the company work feverishly to refresh their look and feel. It’s no small undertaking. While I joined a newer branch of the company that already had a fresh logo and market focus under the name of Global Luxury, that didn’t count me out from using the familiar blue and red logo that has been the gold standard in the industry for 100+ years. All this refreshing got me thinking about my own reinvention the last few years. Wouldn’t it have been great if I could have put together a YouTube video, changed my hair color and just ran with it? Personal reinvention is more than a new look. It’s a new perspective, a persistent and intentional way of living and a keen eye on positivity. I don’t always have all those elements – but when I do, I love my new look. Read on for more!
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Coldwell Banker Bain
The quote above from our new campaign could also be my personal mantra. For most of my married life, I lacked my own personal identity. I was a wife and mom but I didn’t even have my own credit card or personal bank account – everything was linked up with someone else. As we married girls know – even our last name isn’t our own. I lacked a real sense of who I was – constantly morphing into what I thought my husband needed me to be or some form of super-mom that I was making up in my head for my kids. While I had a great career and a lot of friends, I still felt really dependent on what others were looking to me to be. I needed a refresh.
Divorce can offer a swift kick in the pants when it comes to reinvention – but that’s not the only way! Sometimes a new job or career is the answer and sometimes it takes a whole new way of living your life. It could be an attitude adjustment, a new routine, a hobby you make into a passion or moving to a new home. There are endless ways to refresh and reinvent yourself and one of the greatest gifts life gives us, is the opportunity to change. I decided to try them all and see if I could create an algorithm for my own brand refresh.
Note: Trying bangs is not the best choice for attempting reinvention. Trust me. (photo from 2013)
7 Refresh Tips For Any Good Personal Reinvention
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Follow your heart. We all know when it’s time to call it. Don’t procrastinate. As Yogi Berra said: “When you see a fork in the road, take it.”
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Re-prioritize. I made a new list of priorities and I put myself on top. This was one of the most important things I did! The order was now: ME, KIDS, CAREER and then, my romantic relationship. Note: I had trouble with this last one because I fell in love with a great guy shortly after divorcing. I did put him first in many ways (old habits die hard!), but it backfired immediately and I had to go back to the drawing board and take a good look at myself. Rachael 2.0 was born and this time I didn’t falter! I said no to everything (and everyone) that didn’t fit into my refresh plan. And we stuck together- with a new understanding of both of our priorities.
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Pursue what you love and go full speed ahead. I had been building a career in real estate for years as a project manager in commercial real estate. Along the way, I got sidetracked – to earn an advanced degree in project management, start a non-profit, even sell men’s clothing (very successfully!) when my husband lost his job. Sometimes life gets in the way of our brand refresh, but when you see the train slowing down just enough – hop on. I finally got my real estate license, but I regret waiting so long!
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Stop with the FOMO! Anyone who knows me will agree… I really had a bad case of “fear of missing out”. I’d be exhausted, or not really into the group of people or even the activity in question – and I’d still say yes. I was following along and not really doing anything about making me – well, ME. I finally put that to bed and with it came an entirely new realization about the company you keep and how you spend your time! (More on that in a different blog post!)
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Get your affairs in order. I talked about this in my post It’s Tax Time… Part of a rebrand is looking under all the rocks! I gained complete control of what my life was going to look like, and that made it invigorating to refresh! From business to my personal life – I rebooted the whole thing.
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For a career refresh: Hitch yourself with a company that you respect and trust. From the day I got my real estate license, I was so proud of where I worked. I surrounded myself with the best in the business and accelerated my career in less time than I could have if I had gone someplace where the splits were better but I would have had no guidance. By going someplace with amazing marketing, brand exposure and a family-like atmosphere, my trajectory doubled. When the company was sold in August – I was devastated. I set out to find that same feeling I had had the last few years but took my time exploring my options. I knew that wherever I went next, it had to align with the personal brand I had built and had to have a support system that seemed like a family. (I found it at CB Bain!) I always tell my kids: Remember that your last name is the same as mine. And that’s true of where you work too. Make sure as you come out of your old shell, you’re surrounded by a good name to walk with you as you introduce the new you!
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Make a HAPPINESS PLAN. I never did that before, but now I sit down daily and tweak it to fit any changes that have come about. This is different than a business plan. These are personal goals that might include how you want to act towards others, spend your time, work with others or be perceived. Refreshing for me is a mindset. An action plan for interacting with personal and professional relationships and setting myself on the path to feeling serenity and gratitude daily. I also use a great planner called commit30. It’s a fun way to put down your goals.
2018 was a breakout year for my career and my life. I feel like I am finally refreshed! I have independence, emotional stability, serenity and happiness. I have learned to say no, and I have learned to say yes! This is the last year I’ll have all 3 of my kids together, and I’m savoring these next few months of being a foursome at home. What do you do to refresh or reinvent yourself for the next version of YOU? I did it by using some of the steps above and Coldwell Banker Bain did it below. And their refresh aligned with mine ~ so we must be doing something right!
Happy Everything!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-Yq7IjGL2k#action=share
Coldwell Banker Bain – What Can You Imagine?