Aaron Miller
One of the greatest things about living in America is the freedom to reinvent ourselves. Our history is replete with those who started over again — and found tremendous success.
Anna Moses, better known as Grandma Moses, gained fame after starting to paint in her 70s. After decades of struggling with various jobs and businesses, Colonel Harland Sanders franchised his chicken recipe and created a business empire when he was in his 60s. Along the way, he created a new persona to sell chicken.
Sarah Breedlove, who became Madam C.J. Walker, was the first female self-made American millionaire and one of the wealthiest black Americans of the early 20th century. She overcame numerous obstacles to build a cosmetics empire.
Those stories of reinvention are uniquely American. It isn’t easy, but we have a society where people can start over, shed their past. Here, it is possible to move from one class to another.
It is almost always a challenge to find your true self or to create a whole new life, especially if you don’t see a clear path in front of you. But you don’t have to do it the same way everyone else has. We can chart our own paths forward.
There are always obstacles. But adversity is one of the reasons why so many people choose to reinvent themselves. They’re frustrated, angry or bored. They are desperate to change their lives. Financial ruin and personal problems often motivate people to make a change. Or maybe they just feel stuck in a rut. They feel trapped and need to escape from it all. It might seem fantastic or the stuff of fiction, but there are other lives out there — other roads to take.
If you want to reinvent yourself to take the path less traveled, it will take a leap of faith. You don’t have to jump in the deep end all at once. Maybe just test the waters by dipping in your big toe.
But those who want to hit the reset button have to avoid the pessimists and naysayers. You can’t allow yourself to make excuses as to why you can’t start a new journey. But as long as you are still living and breathing, it is never too late to write a new chapter.
You don’t have to skip town, start riding the rails or assume a new identity. So where do you start? Here in Columbus, you can start at 4475 Central Avenue. I wouldn’t say it if I weren’t a true believer. I have seen it with my own eyes. Through the years of teaching at Ivy Tech, I have witnessed numerous people walk through the front door as one person and in a matter of a few semesters have reinvented themselves. In the process, they forever changed the trajectory of their families, too.
The possibilities are nearly endless. Maybe it has been your dream to become a pilot, to soar above the clouds. Or maybe you want to inspire and teach the next generation. Or do you feel a calling to help the sick? Perhaps you want to keep our nation safe from cyberattacks. Do you want to work with robots? Perhaps it is time to start your own business and become an entrepreneur.
All of these opportunities are available at your local community college. Are you ready? Classes start Aug. 21.
Aaron Miller is one of The Republic’s community columnists and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. He has a doctorate in history and is an associate professor of history at Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus. Send comments to [email protected].
