“Reinvent” means to create something new all over again… so why not yourself?

We are lucky in the West, because this is a strange concept in Asian cultures. I was in San Francisco working with one of my BaZi Chinese Astrology teachers who flew in from Malaysia.

When I mentioned that I have a lot of clients reinventing their businesses and career in their 40s, 50s and 60s she was a mystified.

You see, in Asia, you begin a career track in your 20s and continue it throughout your life. They consider that once you have reached middle age your job, finances and life in general has already been laid out for you. There is no tuning or changing. Those who have worked in the private sector who would like to start their own business are limited by lack of new skill set, family obligations and financial capital to realistically be able to start anew in another field. We case-studied one of her clients who worked for the Malaysian government who decided he really wanted to be a photographer and start his own shopping mall photography business. Apparently this is a popular mom & pop business in Asia. The problem is that he was not a photographer, did not know much about taking pictures and had a lot of competition.

So, we looked at his BaZi Chinese Astrology chart in class to give him (virtual) guidance on his reinvention. What the class discovered is that his interest in a photography studio comes from wanting to dress up, look sharp and be social. All of which he was not getting in his current job. But at the age of 55 he was not going to be the next Avedon and in fact we didn’t think he had what it takes to even be mildly good at taking pictures. Because he also had a family to support, we suggested the client take a paid job with a large chain of photo studios as their marketing front man. This made more sense not only to his BaZi and wealth potential but due to his age he needed to draw on already existing talents rather than train for years and learn new ones.

We live in the West, and we can always reinvent ourselves.

In fact, if we don’t life can be a real snore.

Change and challenges are what keeps us excited and motivated.

If you are thinking about reinventing your career here are a few questions to ask yourself:

·         Are your changes financially driven?

·         Do you have what it takes for self-employment or entrepreneurship?

·         What talents do you bring to the table?

·         What are your strengths and weaknesses?

·         Do you have expensive spending habits or are you thrifty?

·         Would you benefit from partnerships?

·         Do you need more education or a new skill?

·         Can you work on your own or with a minimal staff?

·         What do you need to be happy?

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January 2014 Issue