THE INEVITABILITY OF REINVENTION

Phil Street

“The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes” ourselves, let alone be ready for a world changing event.

I was once on the receiving end of this incredible, yet simple advice. There are many variations on the wording, it’s a cliche perhaps but cliches are wonderful snippets of wisdom at their core and this one is no different. This particular nugget came from my father, borrowed I believe from Heraclitus, I’ve taken it on board and always used it in times where it has felt necessary. The truth is, it usually takes an event that shakes the ground beneath us before we turn to the question - “What do I do now?”.

I have had my own battle with this even before Covid came along. There are clear events that took place throughout my life that I was not able to ride without making a change. Let me explain, perhaps you will relate.

These words of wisdom have possibly never been more relevant than in the times we are in now. We are all being asked to change the way we live, the way we work, even the way we think and at times it can all seem incredibly overwhelming.

If you think about it, you are asked to change on a frequent basis and inevitably, at a time of change, there is an amazing opportunity for renewal and growth.

It has been said that humans reinvent themselves an average of 5 times over the course of their lifetime. If that is the case, then it stands to reason we should all be ready for that but I’m not sure that any of us are. The reason for that probably centres around getting on and keeping busy, there is no time to even contemplate why we need to reinvent The first was at school, it is very clear now, not so much then. I grew up on an island in Scotland called Tiree. I was desperate to get off the island and explore the world beyond. I never used to think of myself as Academic but if I’m truthful with myself, I was a lazy kid. If I had applied myself, I could easily have achieved greater grades. The world changing event (well, my world at least) that took place was when I failed all my exams and I realised that I may not fulfil my dream of getting off the island. Thankfully, this spurred me to reinvent myself as a far less lazy kid.

I got the grades I needed on resit and away I went. We will call this Reinvention 1.

I was motoring along pretty well for a fair few years after that, sucking up life. I had landed my dream job on a cruise ship (a by-product

of the attitude upgrade) and was making good progress in a short space of time. What I was not aware of was that there was something holding me back. I was moving forward in everything that I did in the pursuit of satisfying others, but I was neglecting my side of that interaction, both professionally and personally. I was becoming cautious in my opinions for fear of rocking the boat (pardon the pun).

Service of others is a noble thing. Service of others but not yourself is inexcusable.

This came to a head when I took some time out to go travelling around Australia with my then fiancée. It was a deeply one-sided relationship born out of my submissive personality. Service of others but not myself. That, of course, was always destined to fail although at the time it happened, it shook me to my core. I thankfully made the choice to stay in Australia and complete the travelling alone meeting so many amazing people along the way. I had a lot of alone travel time, a lot of time to think, analyse etc. It hit me very hard on a bus on the way to Canberra from Sydney – You have got to start caring for yourself and focusing on what’s important to you to truly move forward.

With that mindset shift I basically booked my ticket out of there and went back to work with a newfound confidence and a focus on me. Now, don’t worry, I didn’t drop the pursuit of happiness for others, I was just a lot more focused on emulating that pursuit for me. I would do things on my terms for a while.

All worked wonderfully, in that time, I met my now wife, a wondrous 50-50 partnership full of surprise, challenge and joy on a daily basis, I started writing and I even wrote 2 stand-up comedy shows. There was nothing I could not do if I put my mind to it. I transitioned away from sea to start a new life on land, moved to London and found the career path I am now in some 15 years later, recruitment in hospitality.

“There was no higher purpose, no higher calling. I needed money to pay the mortgage and to eat.”

Move to reinvention number 3

It’s 2009 and recruitment is a business that is heavily reliant on the success and buoyancy of the market in which it provides. My niche was within hospitality and overnight due to the financial crisis the world stopped traveling and spending money in hotels in restaurants.

If I am honest, I also was not an especially great recruiter. I did OK but up to that point it had come pretty easy with more incoming calls than outgoing. Flip that on its head and you get found out very quickly if you have not got the tools to succeed.

Redundancy followed. I had just got married the year before and we’d pumped our savings into that so found ourselves very close to the breadline. I look back on this time now and I actually shock myself as to how quickly I moved to reinvention.

Within a day I had formed a CV writing business. It was just something I absolutely knew what to do, and I knew that people needed help. 2 further days later with zero marketing budget and a huge amount of time spent on LinkedIn, I had turnover in the business.

Soon after, the calls to return to recruitment started and I joined a local firm in a field I was not familiar with and went in as a junior to learn from the ground up. Even though I did not enjoy the field I was recruiting into at all, they taught me all the things that I was missing from my first stint.

It was a steep learning curve but now armed with these new tools, I went back into Hospitality, an industry I am still deeply passionate about. I am still there some 10 years later, and I now run my own business in a way that makes sense to me and my values. Not someone else’s.

The growth and reinvention here were born out of basic need. There was no higher purpose, no higher calling. I needed money to pay the mortgage and to eat. I started a business and upskilled because I needed to. Without doing that I do not know where I would be. I do not think I even did this consciously, but I am grateful it happened.

Reinvention 4 and present day

Reinvention 4 is happening to me right now but the foundations of it were laid in 2017. I got a double whammy on health that year aged 39. Firstly, my wife and I were told that we would not be able to have children. Now as it happens that was an extreme diagnosis, and we continue to pursue our options on this front.

At the time, I did not realise it fully, but that really knocked me for 6. It took a hard conversation with a close friend and my business partner to shake me out of the daze that I was in. As it transpires, I had built a legacy picture in my head and that involved children. It forced me to analyse and adapt my legacy vision. Again, I am grateful I did.

To add injury to insult, later that year, in November I was diagnosed with a condition known as tethered cord syndrome. In short, my spinal cord is tethered to my spine. In my case, it is a complicated operation to “detether”. 3 years later and I am still researching my options. It will debilitate over time. Again, at the time, I was shaken.

my brain I was building for a physical challenge of some kind and taking all the joy that came with exercise along the way. I had to stop running immediately for fear of accelerating the problem.

This time, I am not reinventing my career, or my relationship,

I am reinventing what I believe to be possible.

I have come to learn that my brain is a gift. I see things in ways that others cannot see, and that just because someone can’t see it the way I can, doesn’t mean that it should not be explored. Research all genius inventions and ideas across time and the vast majority were most likely initially lambasted for being nuts. Now, I am not suggesting any of my ideas are genius, that would be incredibly arrogant, but I am incredibly open to the possibility that one of them might very well be at some point.

Everything I have done throughout 2020 has been about pursuing the things that I am naturally drawn to. I now host a podcast, I am writing a book (The first of many I hope), I am collaborating with people I want to connect with and making the most of being part of the brilliant Collaboration Global community.

Equally I have learned new skills about running a business through a severe crisis. It is all incredibly uplifting.

So that is 4 major reinventions in my life so far. One borne out of the need to shift my attitude, one on relationships and self-care, one economically and one on health. Maybe that is my lot or maybe I’ve 4 more to look forward to. I have to say, my ability to reinvent and grow was made easier by the fact that I am surrounded by people who care about me, personally and professionally.

Everything is always easier when you have a support network like that.

So, when is your next reinvention coming? Chances are you will have absolutely no idea and that is totally fine and completely normal, we most likely cannot know when it comes. I think you just must be aware that the opportunity to do so will be presented to you at multiple times throughout your life. It is inevitable. What you do with that opportunity is completely up to you.

Surround yourself with people who value you and care about you and that opportunity to reinvent will be accentuated.

Ultimately, we must make our time count. Every single second. Imagine the possibility if you do just that.

You can contact Phil at:

Email: phil@momentumrecruitment.com Telephone: 07821 528805 Website: www.momentumrecruitment. com | www.thecurriculumvitae.com | www. hospitalitymeets.captivate.fm