Name: Next!
Rating: 4 (89 reviews)
Author: Joanne Lipman

What’s in it for me? Reboot your life by mastering personal and professional change.

Picture waking up energized and excited for the day ahead. You’re thriving, living your best life, doing what you love, and making a real difference in your field.

Sounds like a fantasy, doesn't it?

That’s sad, but hardly surprising. According to Gallup polls, job dissatisfaction today is at an all-time high. Studies show that millions of people want to change careers entirely. It’s clear that many of us are yearning for more.

In this Blink to Joanne Lipman’s Next! we’ll share a roadmap for personal and professional change. By keying in on four phases – search, struggle, stop, and solution – you’ll gain insights and practical tools to help you analyze your instincts, shape your realizations, and become the best version of yourself.

Whether you’re seeking a complete career overhaul or simply looking to improve your current situation, you’ll get valuable advice to help you reimagine your future. Ready to quit worrying about what’s “important,” and start thinking about what makes you happy?

Then let’s dive in.

Search: Trust your instincts, and move before you move

Most of us have wanted to start fresh before, whether it was looking for a new job, moving to a different city, or ending a stale relationship. But often, we come up against a roadblock: How do we actually make the change happen? Do we need a detailed plan, or do we rely on intuition?

Let’s look at the story of a fire chief who saved her team from a blazing inferno. Even though the flames weren’t excessive, she had a sixth sense that her crew was in trouble. She instructed her colleagues to flee – right before the floor suddenly collapsed.

Phew! A great example of listening to your gut, right? Well, according to cognitive scientist Gary Klein, it’s not quite that simple. The truth is, the commander’s “instincts” were aroused by a mismatch of conditions, which triggered her dread. From years of experience, she already possessed a deep subconscious knowledge of how fire operates, how smoke moves, and what temperatures are the most dangerous. So even though it seemed like an intuitive decision, it was really her subconscious mind drawing on past experiences.

That’s right, successful gut decisions aren’t really moments of brilliance – they’re pattern recognition resulting from deep expertise. When you trust your instincts, you’re tapping into a well of embedded knowledge. But how exactly do you do this?

Well there’s some good news: you’ve already started. That’s because change begins well before an explicit decision is made. Take Joanne Lee Molinaro, for example. It wasn’t until the coronavirus pandemic hit that she decided to dedicate more time to cooking. Sharing recipes online, her hobby became a side hustle. Within a year, “The Korean Vegan” gained 2.5 million fans and became a social media sensation.

That’s the first step to reinventing yourself: search. Try out new things. But don’t be fooled; Joanne’s success didn’t just come down to luck. She was ready to brave the unknown, and she put in consistent effort to learn how to cook. She took action and moved before she moved.

To kick-start your own reinvention, you need to be patient, persistent, and willing to act. You might not be ready to jump into the deep end and commit all the way, but start taking small steps toward your goal. Because, contrary to popular belief, reinvention doesn’t happen overnight. And while intuition can be helpful, the most effective gut decisions are those supported by experience.

Finally, don’t be surprised if the search phase frustrates you – this is totally natural. Make an effort to enjoy your unique journey! In the next section, you’ll learn some tips to deal with the inevitable struggles and clarify your goals.

Struggle: How to leverage failure for personal growth

We’ve all felt discouraged by failure. We’ve botched job interviews, missed the game-winning shot, or had a relationship that turned sour. And yes, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. But here’s the thing: struggle, the second phase in your journey, is an integral part of success.

This tricky middle part is often overlooked by glory hunters. And it’s no wonder. From a young age, we’re taught that failure is bad. But research on creativity shows that progress involves an “incubation period.” You’ll recognize this phase when you’re stumped, uncertain, and want to quit. For job-seekers, it’s called the “liminal stage.” Trauma survivors also experience a so-called period of struggle before personal growth.

Stop: Unlock your creativity with the 90-minute rule

“Stop working!” When was the last time you heard someone say that?

Most of us slowed down during the pandemic, but for all the wrong reasons. Now we’re slipping back into our old ways, and it’s time to hit pause again. Why? Well, studies show that taking a break and engaging in nonwork activities may ignite creativity and increase the likelihood of having an aha moment. In other words, it’s important to stop – the third step in your path to transformation.

Solution: Keep an open mind to discover your true path

As we’ve seen throughout this Blink, finding your solution – the final phase of your journey – involves searching, struggling, and stopping. But what if you’ve arrived at an answer that doesn’t feel quite right? What if you’re left wondering whether there’s something else out there?

This is where the power of reinvention comes into play.

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About the Author

Joanne Lipman is a renowned journalist, editor, and best-selling author. In addition to holding various senior editorial positions, including Editor-in-Chief of USA Today and WSJ Weekend, she is a regular TV commentator and lecturer at Yale University. Lipman is also the author of That’s What She Said.