There’s no doubt about it.  These are challenging times, and not just in terms of the economy and its effect on businesses and families.  But of equal concern is a growing trend in the way in which we respond to difficulties.  Too often these days, many of us are reluctant to stand up to the challenges we face and instead choose to escape them under the auspices of “reinventing” ourselves.

On the surface, it sounds like a good idea:  we are struggling to survive doing as we have done, so why not try something different and new?  And the world is changing at a blinding pace, socially, politically, and especially technologically.  We certainly need to reinvent to keep up, right?

Wrong.

Literally speaking, to reinvent is to create anew, which sounds like a good thing if we’re struggling.  But the problem is that, at a minimum, it relegates our core, our essence – our soul – to a backseat.  We start to focus heavily on becoming something we are not, and because it is new, by definition we have little experience or knowledge as to how we should approach our new focus.  And learning something new can take precious time, time that we probably don’t have if we’re facing immediate challenges.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t try new things – we certainly must to survive and thrive.  However, when “reinventing” we tend to allocate a disproportionate amount of focus and effort on the new stuff and in the process ignore our core value – the stuff that has been working for us for all along.

Some focus on new ideas is always a good thing.  But we must spend as much or more time on advancing our core value!  Invent!  Don’t reinvent!

Focusing on invention and innovation enables you to stay in your zone, not just from a comfort standpoint but from a value standpoint.  Your customers have grown to expect satisfaction from you for what you have done over the years.  You achieved your success by starting with something you know and over time added value by constantly innovating and inventing products, services, or efficiencies.  While technology, the economy, and the rules change, you must address opportunities by being innovative and inventing ways in which your core value will continue to be applicable.  Working in your own space will give you the confidence to deliver higher value products and services.  This is in contrast to the lack of confidence that exists when reinventing due to the nature of learning and doing something brand new.  Worse, reinvention often translates into “trying to be something you’re not.”

When things get tough, it’s easy to throw up our hands and just want to go with the flow.  You will read everywhere how you’re supposed to adapt to changing trends by reinventing yourself or your business.  But as the old saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough keep inventing!”