This article was published in The Manila Times on December 4, 2025. We are re-publishing it here with the kind permission of Mr. Cecilia.
REINVENTION happens when something is changed so much, it appears to be new. But unlike a physical makeover or a change of jobs, real reinvention is realigning your life with your dreams, aspirations and values.
Opportunity
Life and career seem to follow a pattern — starting out, growth, plateau, downtrend. Reaching a plateau is an opportunity to reinvent yourself. When what you’re doing negatively affects your physical health, your body is telling you to reinvent yourself. If your life is no longer aligned with your values and goals, it’s time to reinvent a new you.
In a temporary setback, like a job loss, it’s time to rethink your options and reinvent yourself. Transform the negative force of blaming others or yourself into a positive energy for reinvention.
I’ve reinvented myself a number of times. I studied to be an accountant, but midway through the course, I wanted to be a manager, economist, engineer or agriculturist. I already had a job in finance before I could finish my course.
After three years in an auditing firm, I moved to a bank. In less than three years at the bank, I switched to human resources (HR). And then after five years, I switched to logistics and materials management.
After two and a half years, I returned to HR, which I found to be more exciting than other fields I had been in. I stayed in HR for 25 years — working with San Miguel, Caltex (now Chevron), and Unilab.
After 25 years in HR practice, I reinvented myself as a management and HR consultant for 25 more years up to the present.
I’ve also become a columnist at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and now at The Manila Times. I’ve likewise held key positions at the People Management Association of the Philippines, Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
I’ve taught at the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations and UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries before the pandemic, and now at the University of Asia and the Pacific.
My point is that everybody can reinvent themselves — if they want to.
Here are some tips:
Create a vision. Think about what you want to become. Visualize what you will look and feel like after you’ve reinvented yourself. Be ambitious, but also realistic — because you cannot just become anything you want to be.
Constantly remind yourself of your vision. Write it down. Clarify your thoughts and repeatedly define who you intend to become. Writing it down can help you realize the vision.
Break your vision into workable tasks. Identify the steps needed to achieve the vision. If you want a new job, list down the companies to apply with, seminars to attend, new skills to develop, etc.
Regularly revisit the vision. Stay motivated and track your progress.
Break away from your old routine; do things your new self should be doing. Get into the habit of becoming your new you. Dress differently, think differently, speak differently. If you want to be a writer, write. If you want to be a businessperson, start a small business.
Get a mentor or support system. It is important to have other people guiding or supporting you. Family is your best support system.
Soul-searching
Before embarking on a reinvention journey, have a thorough soul-searching to determine what you truly want to be. Never mind if your vision differs a lot from what you are today. Do not get tied down by your concept of your present self, or by your past job. If you learn skills for other careers, you can also succeed in a new one.
There are ways to learn the ropes in a new field — seminars, tutorials, licensure, skills training, and a lot of self-affirmations and belief in yourself.
Strategies
Reinvent yourself also means crafting transition strategies. Manage your finances, like try spending like a jobless person — frugal, prudent and never splurging for any reason.
Prioritize your health and well-being — do not overthink or overwork. Get over with your emotional issues about an old job. Prepare yourself for rigorous job hunting. Nobody hires a sick or sickly person.
Keep your contacts current with headhunters, classmates, former office mates, or other people who can help. Draw up a plan to get a full-time job, a part-time job, go into business, or a combination of these.
Stop wishing you had a different beginning — because you can still choose the ending.
