The Privilege of Required Reinvention
Career reinvention was a popular topic a few years ago. A lot of books and seminars and conferences on the subject. Much of it was based on the misleading premise:
Do what you love and you won't work another day in your life.
That's misleading because a lot of people love what they do, and experience every bit of the labor-intensive stress of those who may feel less inspired by their work.
Career reinvention is now a necessity for many.
For others, it's about innovating customers.
Or redefining products.
I have a friend who is a farmer. The majority of his business was selling fresh greens to restaurants. That business tanked a few weeks ago when nearly every restaurant in the world closed.
Now my friend sells fresh, in-season greens and vegetables in the form of CSA shares to people who are not finding what they need at local grocery stores. He can barely keep up.
Most of the people who read this blog have the capacity and the tools to reinvent, redefine, and innovate. There are still hundreds of ways to upskill, to retool, and to figure out new and innovative ways to move forward. This is especially true in the English-speaking Western world.
There are an enormous number of people (who don't read this blog) without the resources we have at our literal fingertips. Factories in India and Myanmar are closing, putting millions of the working poor out of a job. "Career reinvention" is a more difficult, if not impossible, endeavor for them.
So retool.
Reinvent.
Repurpose.
Recreate.
Do it.
And do it well so you can help others who may not have your privilege.
