There is a saying in Arabic that goes: “Ask someone with experience and don’t ask a doctor.” Here I am speaking, not as a psychologist, or an academic with a fancy degree, and certainly not a guru of any sort! I am simply speaking from experience and hard lessons learned.
One of the most important ones I have learned is: It is never too late to reinvent yourself. If life-changing circumstances knock you off your feet, and you end up having to reassess your life’s path, you should not despair. Yes, by all means, you are allowed to feel depressed, angry, confused at times and maybe feel like your life is over. But take it from me, it is not a good idea to waste too much time wallowing in self-pity and procrastination. You not only end up hurting yourself in the long run, but also those who love you.
I have gone through many challenging circumstances throughout my childhood, my teens and adult life that have forced me to adapt, reinvent myself and carry on over and over and over again. It was by no means an easy or stress-free task, but by God’s grace and the love and support of close family and friends, I managed.
Before you get to that crucial point in your life when you are forced to reassess your situation, choose a different path for your life or reinvent yourself, you must do a few things.
First, start as young as possible to explore all your possible talents and interests. Throughout your lifetime, you should continually practice in arming yourself with as much knowledge, skills and experiences as possible to use to your advantage when you need them.
Try to think outside the box, and not just depend on your diploma or degree. You may even find yourself taking a totally different career path than what you trained for, and take it from me, that is not a bad thing at all, in fact it could be rather refreshing and adds to your expertise.
Most importantly, when you are at your most vulnerable and are at a loss of what to do when you hit that nasty bump in the road, surround yourself with supportive family and friends and engage in positive activities.
Stay away as far as possible from negativity and negative people — there is nothing more disheartening and discouraging than those annoying people who hinder your progress and willingness to sort your life out. By all means seek advice from those you trust, but in the end, do what you think is best for you. Try to avoid self-destructive behavior and seek professional help, there is absolutely no shame in that.
Many of you would agree with me, and many of you might scoff and say that this is easier said than done. But I promise you, with determination and perseverance it can be done, and far easier than two decades ago. Nowadays we have the wonderful world of the Internet at our fingertips — which I wish was invented when I was a student — that gives you access to so much information, so many countless ideas, and helps you with your self-improvement or reinvention.
Some find good advice and constructive guidelines from self-help books, especially those that come highly recommended and are well written. It is also advisable to keep up any hobbies you might have and develop them.
You never know when they will be the entryways to your reinvention, when they become more than just hobbies, especially if you have creative skills.
When you become that well-rounded ‘Renaissance’ personality, you can face adversity in life with confidence. It is never too late, and you can never be too old, as long as you have your health and sanity!
