Life Reimagined Series Part 5: Deciding What to Take and What to Give

Matthew J. Wagner/photo by Matthew J. Wagner

-- Guest Blog by Kim Sirois Pita --

Welcome back to the fifth in a series of six articles focused on reimagining your life. If you missed our previous guest blogs by Kim Sirois Pita, you can find links to her articles at the end of this column.

Life transitions are not easy. They can throw you every which way, up and down and all around. Once you navigate successfully through transitions, you can look back with an amazing sense of relief and satisfaction.

But first you have to get through them. And that, my friends, is no easy task. I know because I am working through several major life transitions as we speak.

According to authors Richard Lieder and Alan Webber in their book Life Reimagined: Discovering Your New Life Possibilities, “transitions — and the art of repacking — have to do with the gradual falling away of the old and the equally gradual reemergence of the new.”

Bingo! That is exactly where I am. Falling away of the old to make room for the new. Lightening my load. I am trying to determine what is absolutely essential to my journey and what is not. Often times when we have less in our lives, we can better focus on the things that matter.

But before embarking on the repacking journey, it is essential to take another look within. Where are you today and where you are going tomorrow? Who can help get you there and what meaningful connections have you made? Have you explored all the options? Are you ready to make hard choices?

Reflect, connect, explore and choose — these are the first four guideposts in the Life Reimagined journey. The repack guidepost has definitely been the most difficult for me. I like to keep things. My mom used to call me a “packrat” while growing up, and unfortunately that hasn’t changed much. You should see inside my closets and dresser drawers.

Repacking feels so limited. Compare life to a suitcase, there is only room for so much. So you have to leave behind the rest and make the best of what you brought along. But what happens if we don’t make the right choice initially.

What if we try something and don’t like it, or it doesn’t fit right? Can we unpack it? Life Reimagined authors say we can. In fact, we traverse through the different guideposts at different times in our lives. The whole process is cyclical.

After giving much thought to repacking, I have decided to establish some criteria for what I intend to bring along with me on this next chapter. The criteria is simply this:

Where can I bring the most value, and equally as important, where will I be valued the most?

It comes down to understanding and believing in your worth. Know your value and then deliver it to the important things in your life — whether it is work, family, friends or faith. Each one of us has the innate ability to bring something to the table, and when we share our worth with others who are appreciative, something beautiful happens. You begin to see it for yourself.

I am not rushing this repacking guidepost. I am letting life flow the way it is meant to unfold, yet at the same time I am looking at everything just a little bit differently.

I know my value. Figure out yours — and then deliver it far and wide. I guarantee it will come back tenfold! My final guest blog in this series will focus on taking action steps to make your reimagined life actually happen!!

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Kim Sirois Pita, 46, has been working in the marketing field for more than 20 years and currently runs a marketing consultancy where she helps entrepreneurs develop and execute marketing plans. She lives in Rocky Hill and Old Saybrook with her two children, Jordan and Alex. You can find more of her writings on her blog at peaceofpita.com.

Check out these previous articles in the series:

Part 1: How I Reimagined My Life
Part 2: Create A Community to Empower YOU!
Part 3: Begin Your 2015 Journey of Discovery
Part 4: It’s Time to Take Charge of Your Life

For more information, please visit www.lifereimagined.org