Welcome to The Quiet Rich, your weekly email for a quiet mind and a rich life. Today I’m sharing 3 ways to reinvent yourself this year:
CONTEXT
I recently came across this story from Mark Manson.
“An old friend of mine once told me an incredible story about his grandmother. Her husband (his grandfather) died when she was 62, so she decided to sign up for piano lessons. It had been a life-long dream of hers to play piano, but there had always been something seemingly preventing her—you know how it goes—too busy, kids, career, family, then, too old…
She began practicing every day. She was terrible but voracious. She moved her lessons from every week to three times a week and then to every day. She played piano so much that her family began to worry about her.
But she was fine. She ended up living into her 90s. By then, she had been playing piano every day for over 30 years—longer than most professional musicians had been alive. In the common room of her nursing home, she would play concertos and sonatas and waltzes so splendidly that everyone that met her was convinced that she had been a professional concert pianist in her youth. No one believed her when she told them that she began learning in her 60s.”
It is never too late to reinvent yourself.
If you start running at age 37, you could finish two marathons by age 40.
If you learn Italian at 40, you’ll have spoken Italian for ten years at age 50.
If you start writing at 50, you could’ve published three books by age 65.
I’ve always loved the quote from George Eliot: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” (Fun fact, “George Eliot” is the pen name of a woman named Mary Ann Evans who wrote under a male pseudonym in the Victorian Era. Talk about reinventing yourself.)
3 practical tips to pursue the thing that’s been waiting for you all along:
METHOD
1. Try these 4 questions to find your Ikigai.
Ikigai is the Japanese concept of your “life calling.” I wrote a viral post on LinkedIn with 4 specific steps that helped me narrow down my next pursuit.
(After working in the tech industry for 10+ years, I never considered myself an entrepreneur or social media creator—and yet here we are 3 years later, thanks to this exercise.)
- What do you love doing?
- What could you get paid for?
- What comes naturally to you that others find difficult?
- What’s good for the world?
The intersection of those four things is a strong starting point.
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2. Start a "Skill Sprint:"
Once you have some clarity on the direction you’ll take, dedicate 30 intense days to learn a new skill for it or explore that potential passion. Sign up for an online course or community, read books on the subject, find a mentor, watch YouTube tutorials, practice daily.
You'll quickly figure out whether this path truly resonates with you. Plus, you'll build momentum that makes it harder to quit.
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3. Make a small commitment:
After you’ve learned that new skill, give yourself a certain amount of “tries” to get it going. For example, Tim Ferriss committed to publish 6 podcast episodes when he first considered starting one. (Here’s his full podcast story.)
He lowered the stakes by not investing a ton of time or money to bring it to life. And even if it didn’t work out, the 6 episodes would improve his ability to ask questions and eliminate verbal tics. He’d get a return on the investment no matter what.
I did the same, and made a small deal with myself to publish 8 LinkedIn posts (over 2 weeks) back when I had about 1,000 connections. 3 years later, I’ve kept up the habit and just crossed 1 million followers across all social media.
Committing to a specific number of "tries" removes pressure while giving you enough reps to see real progress.
WHY IT WORKS
The biggest myth we all believe is that life is supposed to be linear. It’s not. Yes, it’s scary to consider climbing down one ladder in order to start climbing another. But what if your current ladder is leaning against the wrong wall?
Andrea Bocelli was a lawyer at age 30.
Harrison Ford was a carpenter at age 30.
Martha Stewart was a stockbroker at age 30.
Vera Wang designed her first dress at age 40.
Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 40.
Samuel L. Jackson landed his first movie role at age 46.
Morgan Freeman landed his first major movie role at age 52!
Too many of us feel like we’re “too late” to start something new. But your current age isn't a roadblock—it's your advantage. You’ve accumulated wisdom, perspective, and life experience that your younger self didn't have. Use it well.
As the old saying goes, “Better to admit you walked through the wrong door than spend your life in the wrong room.”
Much love,
Jade
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