I'm a big fan of nicknames, like a HUGE fan of nick names.  I nickname my coworkers, my family, even strangers walking down the street and my poor daughter has had to suffer though an entire unabridged dictionary of various aliases during her short 13 (and a half, mom!) years.  She started out as;

The Parasite

next she was The Alien

and so on....

Peanut

Pumpkin

Snickerdoodle

Stinky Butt

Wiggle Bottom McGee

Chicka

Divalicous Bratitis

Chicklette

Bratasaurous Rex

Red Headed Warrior Princess

and most recently,

Lil Red. 

I call her Lil Red on social media to protect her true identity.  But let me be clear.  I did not name her Penny and have never called her Penny.  Not once.

If you've ever watched children play, they seem to be innately good at putting on personas and characters for their own entertainment.  As they get a little older they try on personalities.  In our house some were more pleasant than others.   But for me, the best example of single-focused, determined, reinvention came in the third grade version of my red headed warrior princess of a daughter. 

At the end of third grade I made the difficult and painful decision to move her to a new school.  She had been at her school since pre-k and she had been in the classroom with the same children for many years.  We were closely bonded with their families and they were our primary social circle as well.  I presented the news expecting her to have a lot of negative emotions but her reaction was an enormous surprise and relief!  She simply stated, in her matter of fact way, "That's fine. I wanted to reinvent myself anyway."  My thoughts went in the following order: "What the hell?" "How does she know what reinvent means?" "Why does a third grader need to reinvent herself?" 

So, I did what all subpar moms are wont to do and I ignored it.  

That fall, she suited up in her new plaid skirt and off she went to her new school, her new fourth grade class room and her new classmates. 

As "Penny" 

Penny Jorgensen

When she came home and told me she had instructed everyone to call her Penny, I chuckled and believed she was kidding. 

Fast forward a couple of months and I'm now coaching the basketball team.  (Don't ask, I get sucked in to these things frequently) The first day of practice arrives and I'm meeting her classmates and their families for the first time. 

Hey Penny, pass me the ball! 

Hey, are you Penny's Mom?

Wow, Penny is so tall! 

Wait!  What?  Holy Shit!  They are all calling her Penny!  Even the other parents!  AND THE TEACHERS TOO!  This little feisty, opinionated, ginger haired daughter 'o mine had done it.  I had to know.  Why Penny?  She patiently explained to her daft mother, she chose Penny as in copper penny, to match her hair.  

The lesson for me, courtesy my genius daughter, was, If you don't like it, eliminate it!  If it's wrong , fix it!  If it's not working for ya, change it!    You don't have to be an 8 year old red headed fourth grader in plaid to change your destiny.  You are never too young to reinvent yourself.... or in my case, old. 

Let's chat about reinventing your business identity!  Contact me.