Freelancers make up a third of U.S. workers and Millennials may have 15 to 20 jobs over the course of their lives. To stay competitive in this economy, you will need to continually disrupt and reinvent yourself. And if you don’t believe in your own abilities, no one else will. You need to buy into your own story and define your identity.

Recognize your gifts and talents, and own them. Hone them.

This, of course, makes us all in the business of sales. We are selling ourselves, our skill set, our vision, every day — when we’re looking for a new job, angling for a promotion, meeting a new client, competing for new business, etc. And as any sales professional knows, you’ve got to use and love your product.

As Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn/Paypal) notes in his essay, you need to “shape your identity or it will shape you“. “On a daily basis, the actions you take, the people you spend time with, and the principles you choose to defend will define your identity. Therefore, you should choose to construct an identity that signals to the world your core values and unique choices.”

5 Steps to Re-Invent Yourself:

Step 1: Learn How To Make Confident Decisions
Confidence is not something you’re born with its something learned. Some have more than others but it has to do with past experience and environment. If you may come from a family where you were consistently discouraged, shamed, and positivity was not something you are familiar with then you could develop low self-esteem. So you may get to a place where you second guess yourself, don’t trust your intuition and don’t believe you have the ability to make change.

Sometimes just making the decision, diving in, trusting your gut is the best thing to do.  Stop justifying your reasons for waiting, for pausing, for gathering more information. Trust in yourself.

Step 2: Identify What’s Important To You
Find your purpose. This may take more time than you like. Just ask the question, “What is my purpose in life?” for 7-10 days every night before you go to sleep, the answer will appear. Trust me.

Step 3: Choose to let go
Take down the rear view mirror. The best in the world only go into the past for analysis, evaluation and continual learning. And with a solid plan of where they want to go, they stay focused in the moment. Keep your eye on the horizon and don’t let the baggage of your past weigh you down.

Step 4: Build your tribe or trusted peer group
Your inner circle contains the people that you communicate with on a daily or weekly basis. Make sure they understand that the change in you is permanent. This is not a flash in the pan or flavor of the month action. Get them on board for your new adventure. This fan club will catapult you further than going it alone.

Step 5: Keep focus and execute your plan
If you’re serious and committed to making change stick, then you need a plan of attack. In other words, you need a plan of action that will help you build momentum as you work toward your goal.

Your plan of action must list down how you will get this process of change started, what you will focus on, and how exactly you will make progress in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Just remember that everything you do boils down to having time. It’s the only thing we cant buy more of, save for later, or pause it.  So having a good system in place will allow you to maximize the time you have. 

Most of us have two lives: the life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands resistance.

– Steven Pressfield

It’s important to invest in yourself until you feel comfortable convincing others to do the same. Then go out and sell your value proposition to live up to your potential.