On the eve of the start of our next Reinvention Team Action Group, here’s the next in our series of Reinvention Success stories.

Today’s story is from Joe Bologna (shown with Buster), who took our Reinvention Team Action Group earlier last year.  Joe’s a talented technologist, engineer and philosopher who has worked for big companies like Motorola and AT&T.  He came to us seeking ideas about how to combine his technology skills with his passion for helping people live productive and fulfilling lives.

I like Joe’s story because it illustrates the importance of working through the emotional pattens that can block your reinvention.  It also show that with creativity, consulting in your previous career arena can provide a financially stable launching pad to explore options in your new one (NOTE: Joe’s starting a new venture helping people organize their technology to run an effective job (reinvention!) search. Check out his website to learn more:  www.focusedforsuccess.com).

Here’s what he had to say:

What was going on in your life before you came to The Reinvention Institute?

Before I came to The Reinvention Institute I was constantly worried and preoccupied with how to succeed in life, which I interpreted as being successful at my job. I had lost my passion and my “dream job” for the 2nd time in my career. My personal relationships were strained very badly. I was being treated for all sorts of stress related disorders.

How did the Reinvention Team Action Group help you, specifically?

The team helped me understand how I was burying my emotions and trying to live my life intellectually vs. spiritually. It helped me to understand how my quest for perfection had developed into compulsions, which I told myself were necessary to develop highly rewarded (and highly compensated) skills.

It helped me manage my “gadget addiction” and start to rebuild my relationships. It gave me the tools I needed to attract and surround myself with business owners and executives who I could learn from and which I badly needed to make a life independent of my 25-year career as a corporate citizen.

What did you find to be the most difficult and challenging part of your reinvention process?

The most difficult part of my reinvention process was connecting with my feelings at an emotional level. My definition of success was tied to pride in my accomplishments and monetary rewards. I craved freedom, but was trapped trying to save enough money to retire someday, all the while wasting my life on things that really didn’t matter.

What’s going on in your life now?

I am a small business owner and independent consultant. I am working side-by-side with a college friend who owns two companies. He shares all of the details of how he became successful and remains successful AND how he became financially free.

My personal relationships are better than ever and I am almost completely free of worry. I have also realized that my lifestyle matches my definition of “retirement”, which is very satisfying.

I have realized that I am more of a Designer than a traditional Engineer. I have not found my “calling” yet, however I know it has something to with helping people run their personal or business lives more efficiently. I am doing my 2009 goals with Pamela’s help and I’m excited to see how this will shape the coming year of unlimited opportunities.

Name three results you got from the group:

1. I learned how to manage my compulsive behavior.

2. I learned the emotional skills required to become passionate about my life’s work and keep this passion despite obstacles.

3. I created a corporation that has given me the freedom and flexibility to answer the question: “What will you do in your retirement?”

Happy 2009! Decide that no matter what’s going on in the news media or your life, that you have the power to take control and make this your best year ever.

For inspiration, we’re kicking off the New Year with another Reinvention Success story. Orelon Sidney had a high-powered career in TV news as a meteorologist for CNN. She’d left CNN but was still freelancing in her old field while struggling to figure out what her next career move might be. She did the teleclass version of our Career Reinvention BootCamp and then joined our Reinvention Team Action Group last fall. Through her work in the group she decided to explore the music industry.

I like Orelon’s story because it shows that reinvention is an evolutionary process. You don’t have to leave the old behind while you explore the new. Here’s what she had to say:

What was going on in your life before you came to The Reinvention Institute?

Utter confusion! I quit my job at CNN in April 2005. Since that time, I have been struggling with the idea of rededicating myself full-time to TV news/weather or moving on to something else. But WHAT else? Since I was a child, I have been fascinated by and in love with weather. I’d worked so hard to get to “the mountaintop” and was having a really hard time with the idea of throwing it all away….

How did The Reinvention Team Action Group help you?

The Action Group– and winning the lottery!– acted as a catalyst for me. (note: Orelon won enough money in the lottery to be able to continue her search for a year) No longer was I content to just sit and do endless “thought experiments” about what my future career would or should hold. I had to get busy! I felt driven by the successes and decisions the other members were making to strike out, even if it turned out to be in the “wrong” direction. Any choice would move me farther along toward owning my future.

I felt pressure to have something new each week when I reported in to the group, so I redoubled my efforts. I am externally motivated and having this accountability really helped me move forward.

What was the most difficult and challenging part of your reinvention process?

As this is a work in progress, I can only say that the most difficult part to me is what I strive NOT to do– and that is second guess myself! I tend to be “obsessive-impulsive”; I turn something over and over in my mind until I have to make a move– any move– or go crazy! Then, when I finally make a move, I tend to wonder endlessly if I’ve made the “right” decision.

I am learning that there may not be any one “right” decision. A decision is a decision and that’s it. The outcome can be positive or negative, but it’s not the decision’s fault! There really is something to the phrase “Just do it”!

I also think letting go of my identity as a television personality is a bigger hurdle for me than I thought it would be.

Orelon Sidney & Richie Havens What’s going on in your life now?

Strangely, slowly, step-by-step, it’s happening. I am a manager-in-training for Liz Melendez, a local musician, and there are some aspects I like and some I am neutral about. Nothing that I hate so far. I am not sure that artist management really has what it takes to hold my interest long-term, but we shall see. (note: love this picture of Orelon with legendary musician Richie Havens– she’s fully stepping into her reinvention!)

Surprisingly, I have been enjoying TV weather again. I still do it on a freelance basis, but I don’t think I’m enjoying it enough to rededicate my career to it. But it’s nice not to hate it all the time, since that’s where the money is coming from until I get something else going!

What are the top three benefits you got from participating in the group?

1. Validation. The biggest benefit for me was the validation I got from being in a group with similar dilemmas. I am not really alone in this! I also felt validated by Pamela’s knowledge of the reinvention process. So many of the questions and feelings I have had seemed crazy, but it was nice to know that it’s really just part of the process of reinvention.
2. Accountability. The external pressure to produce is strong for me and that’s why I signed up for the Action Group in the first place. Accountability really does seem to get me moving.
3. Camaraderie and acceptance. It can get lonely when you feel like what you want to do is crazy, so it was great to cheer for the successes and breakthroughs of the other members and have them in my corner.

__________________________________________________

The next Reinvention Team Action Group starts on Tuesday, January 27th. Applications now being accepted; apply this week and qualify for the early bird discount!

The next profile in our reinvention success story series comes from Stella Kramer (who was also featured in the More Magazine article on us that ran this past April). Stella, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo editor, attended a public workshop that I taught and joined the earliest version of our Reinvention Team Action Group. She also did some one-on-one coaching with me after her group ended. Here’s what Stella had to say about her reinvention journey:

Before working with The Reinvention Institute I was facing a scenario unfamiliar to me, but probably not unfamiliar to others. I found, after many years of working as a photo editor for top publications, and after receiving many important awards, that I could not find any work. Whether it was my age, the economy, or something else I didn’t know, but I realized I had to reinvent myself. And do it fast.

The Reinvention Institute, and Pamela, gave me the optimism I needed to start my own consulting business lecturing and working with photographers.

We covered the logistical aspects of setting up my business, including copy for my website, writing promotional materials and pricing my services. She gave me incredible encouragement with an enthusiasm that made me excited about the possibilities of what I could do in the world.

Like anything new, the biggest challenges and difficulties I found were with myself. Could I really make this dream come true? Could I promote myself? Could I build a business? Could I make a living? I found it hard to work by myself and be responsible for every aspect of my success. I had to be open to contacting people in my field and asking for suggestions and help, and I had to apply myself towards building a business that could support me.

I am moving forward on all of this, and have many ideas that I need to implement. I still find barriers that I have to get myself past, but that’s an on-going process to be expected. I will be teaching an all-day workshop at Calumet Photographic, a large photo store in New York at the end of November, and have already been asked to do another workshop in 2009. I am also being invited around the country to review photographer’s portfolios, and have been building a client base. But as with any business, there’s always more to do.

I’d say the three most important things I got from The Reinvention Institute were encouragement, a new way of looking at what I am and what I can do, and the belief that I can make my new career a success. I am forever grateful for all of that.

Check out Stella’s website to learn more about her work. And if you want to join the ranks of successful reinventors, the next Reinvention Team Action Group is starting on January 27th– just in time for your New Year’s resolutions! Applications are being accepted here. The group is limited to twelve participants and several spots have already been taken, so avoid the wait list and sign up ASAP!