Accelerate Your Reinvention Journey with Commitment, Purpose & Passion

What would be possible if you gave yourself permission to fully focus on your reinvention journey?

Unlimited reinvention possibilities, that's what! 

You can do, create, and be anything you like when you commit to seeing your reinvention journey through.

The truth is that reinventing yourself doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and commitment. It takes prioritizing your self-growth and self-care over other things competing for your attention.

It acknowledges that your hopes and dreams deserve your focus.

It means you are amazing and worth the investment!

You can accelerate your reinvention journey further and faster when you understand that reinventing yourself is more than a list of tasks to cross off a list. It's also about aligning with your purpose and passions. Get that trifecta working and anything is possible!

I can't wait for you to listen to this episode and up your commitment to your own reinvention path. I share how I:

• gave myself permission to focus on my reinvention journey (aka be happy!)
• ditched people-pleasing to focus on my dreams
• learned to say no to others in order to say yes to me
• made my reinvention journey a priority, not a "someday" task
• tuned into my purpose and passion as reinvention catalysts 
• embraced a "perfectly imperfect" mindset to take forward action 

Commitment is key (along with Curiosity and Courage - My Reinvention Rebels 3 Cs)!

Come join me for motivation and inspiration to fuel your own Reinvention Rebel journey. No matter your age or stage in life, you can reinvent yourself at any time.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Are you at a Career Crossroads? Register for the Camp Reinvention Free webinar registration on Wednesday, September 29 at 1 pm ET
• Reinvention Rebels Episode: Ready to Reinvent? Let's Get Curious? 
• Reinvention Rebels Episode: Flex Your Muscle, Find Your Courage & Reinvent Your Life
• Natalie Wester, fierce Reinvention Rebel! Listen to her episode, Solo World Traveler and Whiskey Intern at 61, when she joined me in the guest chair.
• Kim Boudreau Smith, bold Reinvention Rebel! Listen to her episode,

Kick your midlife fears and uncertainty to the curb and start your Reinvention Rebels journey today. Learn about my audio program, Midlife Reinvention From The Inside Out: 8 Essentials to Greenlight Your Life.

Midlife women ready to reinvent themselves start with being curious about what's possible. Download my free audio, 5 Questions to Spark Your Curiosity & Inspire Your Reinvention Rebel Journey to get started today. 

Transcript

Wendy: Hey, Rebels. It's Wendy. I want to tell you that this week, I am on hiatus. I'm taking a mini break. You might remember back in Episode 1, I said that it was all about practicing the idea of showing up for myself, and sometimes showing up for ourselves means getting more rest. So that's what I'm all about. But I went into the archives, and I'm sharing one of my favorite episodes, so you don't miss me too much. That is about how we can accelerate our Reinvention Rebel journey with purpose, passion, and commitment. That idea of committing to ourselves, of clearing our path to make our big dreams a reality. Yeah, that 's so important. So lean in, listen and soak up some of this wisdom to fuel your own reinvention rebel journey, and I will see you next week. What I know for sure is that for us to stay committed to an endeavor, it's more than just a bunch of tasks to complete on our to-do list. Seriously, I'm a to-do list queen, but there needs to be a bigger reason for this work. I believe it takes a 1-2-3 punch of commitment, purpose, and passion that what we strive to do is bigger than ourselves.

[Reinvention Rebels theme]

Wendy: Welcome to Reinvention Rebels, stories of brave and unapologetic women, 50 to 90 years young, who have boldly reimagined life on their own terms, to find new purpose and possibilities. I'm your host, Wendy Battles. Ready for a dose of inspiration? Let's get to it.

Welcome to the Reinvention Rebels Podcast. I'm so glad you're here. If you're a first-time listener, welcome aboard, and thank you for finding your way to me. This is the place to come for reinvention, inspiration, no matter your age. My goal is to inspire women 50 to 90 about what's possible as we age and reinvent ourselves. I interview fierce women, brave women, women who are finding themselves in midlife or later and are soaring, finding their groove, their purpose, their passion, and shining their light in the world. That's the essence of a Reinvention Rebel, I think what I love most about the reinvention stories is that they are so relatable. I can see a part of myself in their stories. We may have very different experiences, upbringings, made different choices, yet there's always something that connects us through shared stories or parallel paths at some point. A lot of yeses, "Yes, I want to do that too." Oh, yes girl, I've so been there. As they reimagine their lives, it helps us see how we can do our own reimagining in our unique way. And you know what else is really cool, the themes they talk about and what they've learned while reinventing themselves, are universal themes we can all relate to in some way. That's why I like to say we can reinvent ourselves at any age or any stage. In a moment, we'll delve in today's topic commitment, and why that's so important when it comes to reinventing ourselves. But first, I want to share a recent review from a loyal reinvention rebels' listener who I simply adore. 

She's someone who is a reinvention rebel herself and I hope that one day she'll join me in the reinventing rebels guest chair. This is an Apple podcast review from Ashley, Ashley writes, Wendy mounts a rebellion with amazing women's stories. Story by story, Wendy, raises the voices of incredible women together. The women featured in reinvention rebels are changing their lives and inspiring others. What Wendy does, reminds me of the Elizabeth Lesser's book Cassandra Speaks. When women are the storytellers, the human story changes and how Wendy. Many of lot of your mellifluous voice and stellar interviewing. I concur yet to me, the most important is capturing the stories of these incredible women who revel in so many different ways. Wow, Ashley, those are such incredibly powerful words. I'm humbled. Thank you for taking the time and writing a beautiful, thoughtful review. I am deeply appreciative. I'll add that when women seeking inspiration find reviews like this, they can get a beautiful sense of the podcast and what I'm trying to do. So, if you are loving on the Reinvention Rebels Podcast and can't get enough, please share your thoughts in a 5-star review. Thank you in advance.

[music]

One thing I love about the podcast is that I not only have the opportunity to interview amazing women on my guest episodes, but I also cherish the opportunity to share my thoughts in periodic solo episodes. Honestly, I'm a bit overdue, I've been swept up in all my extraordinary guests of late. This season I've been shedding light on several key qualities that reinvention rebels possess. I call these qualities the three C's, Curiosity, Courage, and Commitment. Time and time again, I see a pattern with my reinvention rebels. They have leaned into these qualities to help light the reinvention path; they may not even recognize that they're tapping into these things in their quest to reinvent themselves. It can be subtle and not apparent while you're in it but stepping back and having these amazing conversations, I can see these themes emerge time and time again. Way back in episode 3 of our current season, I talked about curiosity. The first 'C', reinvention rebels are curious souls who are engaged in life in vibrant ways. They want to know and do more. They ask questions and seek answers. 

I encourage you to listen to this episode and think about your own curiosity quotient. Check out this episode titled Ready to Reinvent, Let's Get Curious! Then back in July, I shared the courage episode, one of my faves, Flex Your Muscle, Find Your Courage, and Reinvent Your Life. Oh, this was good, all about how we can find more courage. It's a journey for sure. Usually not a straight line, often lots of detours. But we can all flex and build our courage muscle. We just have to be a little patient and nudge ourselves with encouraging words along the way. Because the truth of the matter is that having courage when it comes to reinventing ourselves is key. Why? We are often doing bold things getting out of our comfort zone, pushing ourselves like we haven't before, showing up differently in new ways, finding our courage within is a catalyst for seeing new possibilities in our reinvention journey.

Today, I want to introduce you to the third 'C' commitment. It's all good to be curious about the world around you and find the courage to dream big, and see new possibilities for your life. But what good is that if you aren't committed to seeing your dream through? I bet we can all recall times when we had a great idea, lots of enthusiasm, but we didn't have the gumption to fully commit to making it happen. Or we let other things or people get in our way. I have so many examples of that in my life, honestly more than I'd like to admit. So today, I want to share three key points about commitment and how it relates to reinvention. I'll share a few stories about commitment or lack thereof in my own life, and how I've grown past my commitment issues to find new freedom and possibilities. I've learned it's possible to find just the right balance in our commitment journey. I'll use the Reinvention Rebels podcast as a great example of how at 56 I'm finally figuring out this commitment thing once and for all.

[music]

I'll cut to the chase and tell you that I'm a recovering over-committer. In my adult life, I've enjoyed involvement in many different activities, hobbies, and community work. I can't help myself. I grew up learning the importance of contributing my time and talents to make the world a better place. For me that's meant being involved in local nonprofits as a volunteer and board member. I've also played an active role in my Buddhist organization for many years as a leader. And girls got to have some hobbies, right? I've dabbled in everything from improv and stand-up comedy classes to adult swim lessons. That was a big fail and ballroom dancing to Thai cooking classes. I love trying new things and of course, trying new things have led to new passions so that's all good. Definitely good. That's my curious nature in action. Yet, there's a limit to how much time you can spend on all these endeavors. I get way too into trying to please other people. Ladies, I know you can relate to this right at the expense of myself. I became overcommitted because I refuse to say no because somehow, I thought I could squeeze it all in. Because I was being of service to others but what good is being of service to others if we're not also being of service to ourselves and our own well-being? It's got to work both ways and I certainly know I'm not alone in this, so many women I know struggle with overcommitting and people-pleasing. One day, I realized enough was enough. It was time to reclaim Wendy time. I wasn't willing to be so overcommitted that I didn't have time in my life for the people that are most important or to do the things I most enjoy. I learned it was okay to pull back, just not sure why the hell it took me so long to figure that out.

Quite honestly, the pandemic despite all the horrible parts of it, has been a blessing in allowing me to gracefully be less committed and to end some of the commitments I had consciously.  As a recovering over-committer, I want to share three ideas I found helpful when thinking about how to commit to our dreams and reinvention in whatever way that shows up for you. Now that I've recovered from so many commitments, I've created an amazing space for new possibilities. And what I know for sure is that for us to stay committed to an endeavor, it's more than just a bunch of tasks to complete on our to-do list. Seriously, I am a to do list queen but there needs to be a bigger reason for this work. I believe it takes a 1-2-3 punch of commitment, purpose, and passion that what we strive to do is bigger than ourselves. It's got to be something that we're so passionate about that it lights us up and fills us with joy. Several years ago, I went to school to become a health coach. I ended up quitting my corporate job that I wasn't such a fan of to strike out on my own. Admittedly, I really didn't know what I was doing when it came to running a successful business.

I also learned that while I was committed to doing it for several years, I lacked the passion and purpose needed to sustain all that hard work. While I enjoyed helping my clients reach their goals, something was missing within. It honestly didn't feed my soul. I can look back now and see that I wanted to leave a job situation that I didn't particularly like, I'm so not a corporate person. But going from one thing that didn't feed my soul to another really didn't help. That was a hard lesson to learn. I felt like a failure because I couldn't make my health coaching practice work. But at the same time, I wasn't able to recognize it as a lack of passion or not living on purpose. I just knew I wasn't very happy but with time, experience, and perspective, I've come to see what it looks and feels like when we have this trifecta commitment, purpose, and passion all working together. Because that's what Reinvention Rebels is all about. In creating the podcast, I found this fabulous combination of commitment to create something of value with the knowledge that I'm finally living on purpose and following my passion to uplift women.

By the way, check out my Season 1 episode, Self-Reflection and Silence: How I Uncovered My Purpose at 54, for the full story about my journey to uncover my true purpose and yes, it's never too late. I now know that commitment comes so much easier when we have purpose and passion behind it. What was such a challenge as a health coach is a breeze as a podcaster. Yes, I'm working hard at it and admittedly spending a lot of hours doing it. But it brings me such immense joy, that I can't wait to get started every day. I literally jump out of bed at 4:45 each morning to get started. That's commitment, purpose, and passion in action.  We just have to find the right fit. And if you haven't found the right fit yet, that's okay. Just know that it's totally possible.

I believe another key ingredient to reinvention is embracing a commitment to ourselves. And by that, I mean we need to have a serious mindset shift. As women, we are fierce givers. That's all good but it's typically at the expense of ourselves. If we truly want to reinvent ourselves, we need to start embracing ourselves like never before. No more excuses and not showing up for ourselves. No more saying we don't have time because we all know that we find the time to do the things we really want to do. To me, that means shifting our mindset to one of self-love, self-care, self-empowerment. Let's prioritize us. We need to invest time in ourselves and create the space to reinvent. For me, that starts with getting quiet and a lot of self-reflection which leads to new insights. In the most basic sense, we are granting ourselves permission as one of my favorite reinvention rebels, Natalie says, "To embrace and acknowledge our reinvention journey, to shout out that we are worth it." 

And for me, that mindset shift has also meant ditching my all-or-nothing attitude and approach to things. If I don't do things this way, they won't work out. really, according to whom. In the past, I see that I've given myself a narrow space in which to maneuver based on my own made-up limitations. I'm not sure where that came from, but it seems pretty ridiculous looking back now. Let's broaden our thinking about what's possible when it comes to being committed to our reinvention journey. There are many different ways to approach this. How about trying on for size the idea that we can broaden our mindset, lean into joyful self-exploration on our reinvention path, and ditch the self-imposed rules we often have for ourselves?

Finally, for me, commitment means allowing myself to be perfectly imperfect. I am a recovering perfectionist which goes back to my all-or-nothing mentality. I like to get things right the first time, do a great job put my best foot forward. All those cliches have been true for me, I see this in so many other women too. In fact, in my recent reinvention rebel conversation with the fabulous Kim Boudreau Smith, she talked about this similar theme of how being a perfectionist doesn't truly serve us. It holds us back from being our authentic self. We can really do a number on ourselves, believing we're not good or worthy enough. Perfectly imperfect though suggests there's room to play, noodle, figure things out. It gives me permission to dabble and sometimes figure out I'm going down the wrong path. It creates space for do-overs. It acknowledges that I don't have all the answers, at least not yet. It validates that I can start and stop as many times as I damn well please. It gives me room to grow and sometimes I mess things up but it acknowledges that the world's not going to end because I did something wrong. There's wisdom in this perfectly imperfect approach. It reminds me that I'm on a journey when I give myself permission to lean in, listen, and figure it out. It doesn't have to be nearly as hard as I've made it in the past. There's such freedom in this feeling, like learning to exhale after way too many years of holding our breath, and hoping something doesn't go sideways. I am so over that and I'll tell you that I've applied this perfectly imperfect approach to producing the podcast too. I've learned to do my best work, but even if something isn't perfect, I still put it out there. Not perfect is so much better than not at all.

Sometimes I've listened back and noticed there's a little background noise or I didn't like the way I sounded in a particular part. But seriously, who cares? Getting lost in that minutia helps us forget about our bigger mission, the dreams we have. How are we going to get to them if we can't see past our own flaws. So, let's forgive ourselves move on and embrace the idea that being perfectly imperfect is actually pretty cool. And when we create an empowering space like that, we make it easier to honor the commitments we've made to ourselves and to reinvention. I see this in the Reinvention Rebels I've interviewed too. They have embraced this notion of figuring it out one step at a time doing their imperfect best. So, what can you do today or this week to take baby steps toward going easier on yourself and embracing your imperfections as you move towards your dreams.

[music]

So, there you have it, my thoughts on the power of commitment to fuel our reinventions and help us grow into fierce reinvention rebels along with curiosity and courage, commitment is a powerful part of the trifecta to reinvent ourselves. And within this idea of commitment, we can have a little fun, tune into our purpose and passion, consider our mindset about commitment, and not be afraid to step out in imperfect ways. That's all part of the plan and you know what else it's really fun. It's fun to figure out this complex puzzle that ourselves. It's fun to step back, get perspective and push ourselves to be and do better. And when we create the space to reinvent ourselves, it's amazing the magic that can happen when that combo of curiosity, courage, and commitment comes together. It leads to more joy, love, hope, and connection. 

In this complex, stressful, anxiety-producing world, isn't a time we came home to ourselves and started shining our light. When we do, everything we encounter is easier to navigate. So, let's get to it. reinvention rebels no matter your age or stage. Let's do this reinvention rebel thing with reckless abandon and pure joy. You are exactly where you're supposed to be. You've got this reinvention rebels. So, keep being bold and brave, keep creating opportunities to shine and as you do, please share your reinvention stories with me. I would love to hear how you're flexing your commitment muscle. Thanks again for listening. I am so grateful. If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave me a 5-star rating on Apple podcasts. Until next time, stay true to yourself and shine your beautiful light, the world needs you and all that you have to offer. 

[music]

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