Re-Branding: Treasuring Your Past and Reinventing Your Future

The city of Guanajuato, Mexico founded in the 16th century by the Spanish, was pivotal in the fight for Mexico’s independence. By the 18th century it had become the world’s leading silver extraction center. During that time the outlying areas of the city were peppered with silver mines. The city itself was comprised of the town center, ringed by huge, brick Mexican haciendas, where the people lived and conducted much of their silver business. Should you visit here, a prominent tourist destination is the Hacienda San Gabriel de la Barrera. Here you can stroll among the lush gardens, tour what a typical 18th century home may have looked, and relive the silver mining experience.

As you can imagine, there are very few intact standing haciendas on display or converted to museums. Instead of tearing those solid brick walls down though, the choice has been to preserve these impressive buildings and repurpose them for new endeavors. To maintain their culture and heritage, tiled placards have been placed on the sides of buildings to indicate former haciendas. And while the exterior walls are intact, the interiors may hold a redesigned home, hotel, retail shops or local trade (e.g., dentist, lawyer, doctor) offices.

Guanajuato’s residents have made a conscious decision to treasure their history, keeping what they could of a bygone era, while reinventing, supplementing, and redesigning with new and fresh ideas. Whether it’s simply a coat of paint, a completely new façade, or a redesigned interior, they are keeping current with the evolving times. And isn’t that what it’s like when you reach your mid-career or middle age, as it were? The point is not only to stay current and relevant in the present, like new technologies and software platforms, but to also to retain your history, carrying forward skills, knowledge and experience. You’ll also want to ensure that your knowledge and experience remain viable by refreshing and redesigning them.

Bringing your whole self forward rejuvenates and reinvigorates you for new opportunities that may beckon. As an example, I have a colleague who worked in branding and regional store development for a major department store. She pivoted with the skills learned there to start a business in teaching retailers how to brush up on their personal brand and image, and later used those skills and talents to work with executives in accelerating their careers and increasing their promotion opportunities.

Re-branding, or reinventing yourself, is not just a focus on changing careers, it’s a reinvention of how you see yourself and what you offer. As my former coach Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting used to share, “I’m developing materials and seeing insights I never imagined a few years ago.” So how do you maintain a mindset that treasures the past, but also focuses on reinvention for the future? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Am I staying current with what’s new, exciting and different in my field, other fields, my business, and the world around me?
• Am I aware of what skills, talents, knowledge and experience I excel at?
• Do I stay abreast of what’s happening in my field (and other fields of learning) to further develop myself?
• Do I periodically assess my gifts against what’s happening around me, and see where I might want to transition or branch out?
• Do I take the time to truly think, past just completing tasks, what I could be contributing differently?

When I worked in the corporate world, first internally and then as a management consultant, people would share how they wished their bosses were more interested in their development. And my response, “Your boss isn’t going to be interested in your development or make it a priority until you show them that it’s a priority for you.” You only have one life to live. Treasure your past, but always be continually reinventing and developing yourself to stay current.

ACTION: What is your next step in reinventing yourself?

Kathy Hart’s driving passion is human change and transformation. Her goal is to provide professional women in midlife (ages 40 – 65) with the support and resources needed to re-imagine and lead even more abundant, joy-filled and purpose-driven lives. If you are a woman wanting to reclaim your voice, realize a long-held dream, or just live your life to the fullest, take concrete action by contacting Kathy at kathy@clearvisionconsult.com. The choice is yours!

Services that Kathy offers:

• 1:1 coaching to support the next journey into your midlife transition
• Trusted advisor for leaders navigating work changes and requiring an expert guide
• Speaking and workshops on human change and transformation
• Small group work and team development to boost the group’s performance