Have you ever thought about reinventing yourself? Maybe you’ve wanted a different job, a new challenge, or a chance to learn something new. Or perhaps you’ve wanted to change the way you live.
Have you already done something like that, without thinking of it as reinvention?
As I’ve gotten older and the days tend to repeat themselves, I sometimes get hungry for change. We might look back on our lives and feel there’s still room for something different.
Reinventing yourself sounds like a fairly grand ambition. I’m not sure the changes we make always feel that way at the time.
Table of Contents
“Do Your Best and Have Fun”
Recently, I came across a 67-year-old gamer who posts Apex Legends videos on YouTube.
His channel description is simply: “Age is no barrier to gaming. Do your best and have fun.”
I like that attitude.
As someone who also plays Apex Legends, I was interested in his videos. I also appreciated those few words about doing your best and having fun, especially at this point in my life.
Seeing his videos got me thinking about the things we might still begin – and whether we sometimes rule ourselves out before we’ve even tried.
My Apex skills don’t exactly fill me with confidence about sharing my gameplay. But I would enjoy being more involved with other older players.
I have a lot of respect for people willing to try something that matters to them.
The Videos I Never Made
I once bought a couple of video cameras when I lived with my ex-wife, intending to make some YouTube videos.
I liked the idea.
But I never quite found the confidence to follow through. I wasn’t sure I could come across as relaxed as I wanted, especially when talking about something I cared about.
The cameras sat in a cupboard for the most part and were eventually sold years later.
Of course, confidence isn’t the only thing that can hold us back. We might want a change but not have the money, time, or freedom to make it happen just yet.
It Doesn’t Always Start With a Dream
One change I did make, though, wasn’t something I’d spent years planning. About five or six years ago, I went from teaching English most days to spending a few days a week farming.
After my boss’s father passed away, he decided to close his English school and focus on the family farming business. I felt honoured to be invited to join the team.
Farming wasn’t a lifelong dream. But the opportunity came along, and I found myself doing something very different.
Would I have called it reinvention at the time? No. I probably still wouldn’t call it that. The word sounds a little grand for something so down to earth as growing vegetables.
But perhaps I’m expecting too much from the word. I didn’t set out to reinvent myself; I took an opportunity and adapted to something new.
Not Every Change Is Welcome
We don’t choose every change in our lives. Some things happen unexpectedly. A job can end when we still need it. Our health might change.
Sometimes our role changes without us choosing a new one. We might be needed more at home, or find that people who once depended on us no longer need us in quite the same way.
In those situations, “reinvent yourself” might be the last thing anyone wants to hear. You’re not always looking for a fresh start. And you might quite like your old life back.
A difficult transition might eventually lead somewhere rewarding, though. It can also remain difficult for longer than we’d like. We can’t always be enthusiastic. Sometimes we just need a way to keep going.
Reinventing Yourself as You Get Older
This isn’t only about getting older, but it’s something I find myself thinking about more now.
The way I spend my days isn’t exactly how I would have pictured it years ago. I wonder what else I might enjoy that I haven’t tried yet.
I don’t feel obliged to keep improving myself or collecting new achievements, and I don’t want every interest to become another task I’m supposed to be good at.
I do like the thought that there might still be things worth beginning. Some could become a meaningful part of life. Others might turn out not to be for me.
What About You?
Would you like to reinvent yourself? Or, looking back, have you already done it without quite realising? Perhaps it happened through work, a hobby, family life, or a responsibility you never expected to have.
Was it something you aimed for, or something you had to find your way through?
Related Reads on OldDogZeroTricks
- When You Get Good at Things You Never Felt Passionate About
- Are You Trying to Turn Your Life Around? (Breaking the Scarcity Mindset)
- Choosing the Life That Fits: Not What You Thought You Wanted
Grant Barker here (aka OldDogZeroTricks). I’m a British expat living in Japan, teaching English, growing vegetables, and writing honestly about aging, purpose, and figuring things out – without the BS.
This blog is where I talk about the stuff most people keep to themselves.
