Reinvent Yourself: Learn (7/7)

It is nine days today since the first post in this series. Six days out of those nine, we have discussed simple ways to reinvent ourselves. Before we wrap this up today, I thought we would do well to consider a re-cap.

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In ‘Connect’, we discussed alternative uses for digital media that would see us making real connections, earning permissions, and gaining insights from people we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to interact with.

In ‘Be Generous’, we discussed the power of ‘free’. Since it does not cost money to play, we have the ability to give before we get. We can write essays, distribute free eBooks, and upload music tracks – gaining satisfaction and name-recognition in the process.

In ‘Make Art’, we discussed the need to stand out by being original. In a world where so much badgers people for their attention, you, your product, your service, or your brand need to be distinctive!

In ‘Acknowledge the Lizard’, we discussed the fact that most of us do not ‘make art’ because our ‘lizard brain’ is afraid of being laughed at. So what do we do? We acknowledge the lizard, and then walk to the podium and do the work!

In ‘Ship’, we discussed the fact that good intentions never get us anywhere. No one builds a reputation on what they are going to do. Quit obsessing. Ship! Execute! Do!

In ‘Fail’, we said that we should not let the fear of failure hold us back from trying. We should learn to embrace ‘failure’ as just another step on the path to finding out what works. We not only acknowledge the lizard – we also challenge it!

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In many ways, the seventh ‘pillar’ is the key to the other six.

It is simply amazing how fast the world is changing today. Methods and paths to achieve success and growth are continuously evolving, and what worked a decade ago will not necessarily work today. To bring a ‘rigid’ mindset to ‘work’ today is to court certain failure.

These days, school is never over. School is now. School is blogs and experiments and experiences and the constant failure of shipping and learning.

Reading through this series is just another step in the right direction. The path to reinventing ourselves is just that – a path. One of the greatest opportunities of our time is to discard what we think we know, and instead learn what we need to learn. Every single day.

PS:

Excerpts and paraphrases from Seth Godin’s manifesto – Brainwashed.