Reinvention: The Power To Be Who I Am
Julie Danis is a writer and storyteller in marketing and communications and at work on a play.
By Julie Danis
When I was a child I just wanted to be happy. In my 20s and 30s I wanted to be happy and successful. In my 40’s I wanted outside validation. In my 50s, after promotions, pay raises, and layoffs, I realized I wanted to feel as if what I did with my life mattered.
But how? My career in consumer marketing seemed too removed from the consumer to matter. I felt too old to revive my writing life. What did I have to say, that others weren’t already saying? I didn’t know how to take the first step to my next step, until I started working with a coach, dubbed the “Queen of Reinvention” by Fortune Magazine, who said, “Happiness will come when your actions and words are in congruence with your core belief. Your life is like a car, when it’s out of alignment you go off course.”
My car was off track and stalled. I had been following someone else’s path. While my resume said, “I’m successful” my heart cried, “What does it matter?”
“Realign your values with your actions by rewriting your story,” Coach said. From my marketing career I understood the power of a consistent brand story to influence values, attitudes and behaviors. My new story rejects self-limiting beliefs such as, I’m too old and my experiences aren’t relevant. It reflects my belief that connecting with others through writing, sharing, and listening can make a difference.
My reinvention journey gave me the power to be who I am in my 60s and beyond: a writer and storyteller working on a play I believe will make others realize they’re not alone in what they experience and feel. My words do matter and my happiness and success is linked to being me.
““My reinvention journey gave me the power to be who I am in my 60s and beyond: a writer and storyteller working on a play I believe will make others realize they’re not alone in what they experience and feel.” — Julie Danis #PowerToChangeStories”
Julie Danis is a writer and storyteller in marketing and communcations and the the Honorary Consul of the Principality of Liechtenstein for the Midwest. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=664269017; https://www.instagram.com/julie.danis/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-danis-76b3184/