The Reinvention Coach

Pamela Mitchell on the Today Show!

On Friday October 26, 2007, I was interviewed on NBC's Today Show by Meredith Viera!  The topic was 'Second Acts'; in this particular segment, I provided tips to people who wanted to leave their current careers to pursue more philanthropic work.  After a short intro video telling the story of two men who'd left lucrative jobs to teach in inner-city schools, I outlined the following reinvention steps for those who want to start a new career that gives back:

Step 1:  Decide how you want to give back
Step 2:  Select a target
Step 3:  Try it out
Step 4:  Overcome the obstacles
Step 5:  Celebrate success along the way

Check out the tips I gave for each step by watching the segment :  Starting a new career that gives back

Reinvention Inspiration: Paul Potts on overcoming fears & barriers

Next week I’m heading to Chicago to give a seminar at Northwestern University for the McCormick Tribune Fellows fall forum program.  The workshop is called Creating a Reinvention Game Plan, and a big part of the session will focus on helping participants overcome fears and barriers.  This is an essential skill because if we allow our anxieties and difficulties to stop us, we have no chance of reaching our goals.

A friend recently forwarded me a link to a video that perfectly illustrates this point.  It is the story of Paul Potts, a British cell phone salesman who appeared on the TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.  Despite a nondescript appearance and a lifetime of being bullied, Paul harbors a desire to sing opera for a living.  The short of it is that he goes on the show and despite his pre-performance anxieties and everyone’s low expectations—all clearly seen in the video—Paul wows the crowd and the judges.

Paul had tried to pursue his dream in the past but a run of bad luck—including a bicycle accident and financial difficulties—kept stopping him (check out Paul's bio here).  Nonetheless he didn't let his fears and the hurdles he faced (including not looking like a typical opera singer) derail him, and he hammered away at his goal until he finally struck gold.

The lesson of Paul’s story isn’t that we all have a hidden gift that will surprise everyone and bring us fame and fortune.  What he has shown us, by continually putting himself out there despite his insecurities and some very real obstacles, is that the willingness to take action in spite of fears and barriers is the most important talent to have to successfully reinvent a career!

(thanks to Lisa Walborsky for passing along the video link!) 

Join me at the Reinvention Convention on Tuesday!

More magazine's first annual Reinvention Convention is this Tuesday October 9th in New York City!  It promises to be an exciting event, with Ann Curry from NBC News, makeup guru Bobbi Brown, financial expert Jean Chatzky, health correspondent Pamela Peeke, M.D., and other guest speakers and More magazine editors. If you're a woman looking for real world strategies and advice to help you reinvent your life in the area of work, money, health or style, this is the event for you!  For more information, click here.

I'll be there as a guest expert on columnist Mary Lou Quinlan's career reinvention panel (our panel is at 9:00am).   If you're attending, come up to me afterwards and say hello!