When our ancestors were studying at home or going to school, reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic were sufficient. With these three r’s they could function efficiently in a simple society. Back then families and neighbors worked together closely to build a barn on the farm or erect a store in town, to grow and distribute food and crops, to raise and sell animals, and share their wares with others and eventually in the marketplace. The formation of businesses that offered the exchange of goods and services led to the creation of capitalism.

Through the decades the economy has shifted tremendously, and news articles and personal stories in the United States and other countries indicate a financial breakdown throughout most of the world. When coping with constant changes in today’s world we must focus on adapting a new set of r’s to move from just surviving to thriving.

Here are my top three r’s for starting my re-creation process:

Reassessment

Examine everyone and everything in your life and consider whether these people and activities support your growth as an individual and/or your development in your career. If a person is critical of you or talks negative all the time you need to create a different relationship with that person or release him or her from your life.

If any activity like hating your work, watching too much TV, eating too much, or playing too much golf are keeping you from attaining your goals in other areas, you must be willing to let go of the old to make room for the new.

Look positively at who you are and what you have to offer the world. Focus on the things you have done right and recall the activities that have given you a sense of pride and purpose. Then figure out how you can draw upon your natural abilities, your acquired skills, and your current interests to be of service, either with a volunteer project that helps the community or through a job that benefits society and earns income.

This soul-searching may even lead to development of a new business. Re-align yourself with your divine mission and expect miracles!

Take time to rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit through nourishing foods, exercise, fresh air, hobbies, inspirational literature, educational classes, additional training, etc. By fueling the physical, motivating the mental, arousing the spiritual, and stimulating the intellectual, you enhance clarity and boost energy, therefore improving attitude, increasing productivity, and promoting harmony in work and home environments.

Release old patterns and discover new ideas! Recharge, research, retrain….do whatever necessary to encourage lasting fulfillment and promote peak performance in every area of your life.

Now I ask you, how are you reinventing yourself?

What are the strategies that you are implementing to promote inner satisfaction and lasting success?

©2012, AlexSandra Lett

AlexSandra Lett is currently writing Going Crazy…Getting Sane, a book about reinventing ourselves personally and professionally.

“Am I going crazy or getting sane?”

This is the question I first asked myself many times in the late-1990s when I doubted the career choices I had made in the pursuit of worldly success. In recent months, this same inquiry has come back to force me to undergo another major reinvention.

In a former ego-driven vocation I provided writing, editing, marketing, publicity, and media relations services for companies and individuals to help them achieve their goals for greater name recognition. Using my initials for AlexSandra L. Lett, I had founded ALL Communications in Raleigh and coordinated all types of activities for promoting people and businesses in the marketplace. To make money and gain prestige I became all things to all people and eventually sacrificed my soul’s purpose in the process.

An uneasy feeling in my gut indicated that something was wrong with how I was living. Personally and professionally I was very unfulfilled…I longed for something more.

My desire for dramatic changes in my life increased, and I wrote about my experiences in a journal, and eventually a book title evolved: Going Crazy…Getting Sane. To respond to my soul’s promptings about writing the book I had to give up my old way of earning an income. As I released clients I didn’t know if I was going totally out of orbit or if I was finally getting in control of my life.

Back then I embarked on a powerful pilgrimage, the road less taken, the path of most resistance, without a compass, without a map, without even a marketing plan. Many business associates and even some close friends thought I was confused and perhaps even crazy as I courageously sought sanity and serenity. I knew I had to answer to the calling that stirred deep inside me and had to trust the Holy Spirit to direct my amazing journey to creative self-expression and authentic living.

Focusing on writing that book for two years was the most fulfilling endeavor of my life and I got in touch with my mission as a writer. Even though I did not publish the manuscript, the process of writing three drafts provided healing that would have cost me thousands of dollars and years of therapy.

From 2000 until recently I have focused on work had fed my spirit, have published several books, and have spoken to numerous audiences on diverse topics. However, lately in my misguided efforts to belong to social groups and business organizations, I have realized that again I am making the mistake of losing my authentic self.

So this summer 2012 I have withdrawn from the world again. I have been reading old versions of Going Crazy…Getting Sane and reviewing many articles I have written about personal and professional development. And, yes, I am committing to REINVENTION again.

Recently I wrote a series of columns for a publication discussing strategies for reinvention, and each one started with r. In this blog I will write about the r’s that I have embraced in reinventing myself, including

As I reflect and reassess about my book, my work,and my life I seek TOTAL TRANSFORMATION that involves creative excitement and inner fulfillment.

Will you join me?

AlexSandra Lett is currently writing Going Crazy…Getting Sane, a book about reinventing ourselves personally and professionally.