Freddie Roach is widely considered one of the greatest boxing trainers in history.

He’s won the Trainer of the Year award an unprecedented 7 times, worked with 27 world champions, and completely revolutionized how boxers prepare for a fight.

Before he attained this level of success, he was a professional boxer – with an OK record. Then, he was forced into retirement and found himself doing telemarketing in Los Vegas.

But he had a calling; it was a deep intrinsic yearning to return to boxing – not out of love for boxing itself – but for the love of competition and strategizing.

Freddie Roach looked to what he loved about the sport, looked to his skill set cultivated over decades of involvement within the sport, and reinvented himself.

One of the most significant and recurring obstacles I see individuals face at midlife is the belief that they have to give up everything they’ve worked so hard for to create the life they desire.

They fall into what I call Reinvention Myth #6: The Label Myth.

I’m a lawyer, I’m a doctor, I’m a sales executive, I’m a CFO/CIO/CEO.

That’s what you do, not what you are.

You have to cultivate crystal clear clarity on what you want to create in your life – and work through the limiting belief that you have to give it all up to get there.

Because the fact is – there are countless skills that you’ve developed over the years in your given profession that can apply to whatever it is you want to create in your life.

These are the soft, micro, and macro skills that make you great at what you do.

Getting crystal clear on what you want to create is the first step.

Second, perform a personal inventory of your natural inclinations.

Third, understand that just because you’ve utilized those skills in a very narrow and focused way – that’s not the only way they can be used.

A screwdriver doesn’t only turn screws. It opens paint cans; it’s a magnet, a scraper, and I’ve used the handle as a hammer in a pinch.

Fourth, get creative and experiment with how you can reapply your skills towards what brings you joy.

Just because you’ve always done what you do doesn’t mean it’s the only thing you can do.

These four simple steps open the door to reinventing your skillset so you can cultivate a life of joy, meaning, and fulfillment.