Having Fun With the Re-invention Process

One of the great things about re-invention is that I get to re-connect with a lot of people I’ve enjoyed working with in the past. Yes, the current re-invention is driven by necessity: I need to find new ways to put more flow into my current cash stream. But that doesn’t mean I have to be a dull boy about it. Quite the opposite.

This, more than any other, is the time get together with like-minded folks to chew on ideas, cobble together some projects, share some information, and encourage each other to step outside the boxes we’ve been living in during the past few years of relative busy-ness and wealth.

Last week was a banner week for me. One friend treated me to a couple of glasses of whiskey while we mulled over several projects that are in pre-development (ie. projects that need serious thinking and planning before they’re floated for investors and sponsors). No paying work here, but lots of opportunity. And she’s a dynamic character whose energy and enthusiasm are as valuable to me as any offer of paid work. That will come.

With another former client who’s hung out her shingle as a consultant, I got another dose of learning and thinking-forward. Also, along with lunch came the offer to make a referral and to coach me through a book proposal process.

Later, a client who hasn’t been using me much in recent months treated me to many drinks at our local “urban type” bar (I was nursing a cold so the treat was inexpensive and very appreciated: several generous glasses of grapefruit and soda). She also turned some work my way, and gave me some direction with regard to a possible strategy for re-invention. And, like the colleague earlier in the week, she offered to coach me through the process. ¡Todos buenos!

And all the time I was having a good time. I certainly put forward the current “opportunity” to put more time into their projects. But it was also fun to hear about what was happening in their lives and their work. Sometimes when I’m very busy, these kinds of conversations just don’t happen often enough. Now that I’m less busy with paid work, I get to put energy back into the relationships that have helped me thrive in the busy times.

It’s one of the things I love about how I work: it’s not just the product or the skill that I offer, it’s the way I get to work with clients. I’m not the right guy for every client or every job. But when it works, boy does it work. I’m reminded of that now as I go through this re-invention process: there are people who’ll want to work with me no matter what I do, so long as it relates to their work in some way. We just have so much fun together!

As my father loves to say, “Every day above ground is a good day.” And that's as true for the days when the cash is flowing but conversation is scarce as it is for the days when conversation is flowing but cash is scarce.

h.