Welcome to the Great Reimagination! From small improvements to life-changing decisions, the country is in a period of profound change. You may have heard of the Great Resignation, but we prefer to see this new era as an opportunity for you to actually choose your future. Make 2022 the year of your dreams as you explore our Great Reimaginings series.
Deepak Chopra once said, “All great change comes before chaos.” He could also have been talking specifically about the past few years, which were nothing if not unprecedented, historic and, yes, chaotic. Many of us use that period of uncertainty and anxiety to ask ourselves important questions: Do I love my job? Do I have to move? Am I happy? We asked more than a dozen people from across the country to share details of their own “great reimaginings,” including going from big business to small business (and back again), new ways to find love, the tough decision to go to rehab and more.
Their responses, chronicled below after a series of intimate interviews, reveal the inner work of people destined for great things: a more rewarding career, a sense of peace in a new place, a loving partnership. Whether you’re thinking about a big change or a small one, these stories might inspire you to look at life in a slightly different way.
“I went back to law school in my 60s.”
Vicki Rimasse, 67, New Jersey
When Vicki first went to law school at age 25, she wasn’t “addicted.” Law school was just a fallback, and after she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology, she didn’t know what to do next. She never took the bar exam, but instead took up legal writing and briefly worked as a receptionist. But now, at 67, a chance meeting in an elevator has led to a new job, a promotion to paralegal, and a new thirst for the profession.
“I met a young woman in the lift and I was really impressed by how she was dressed because no one had dressed up since the pandemic started,” Vicki recalls. “I complimented her and said, ‘Oh, by the way, does your firm need paralegals? ‘Long story short, at the end of the trip, she wanted me for an interview.” In her new role, Vicki falls in love with the law.
“My job is like watching ‘Dateline’ sometimes,” she says. “When I read my boss’s testimony, it was like playing chess. He was so sharp; He will find subtle differences. I said, ‘I really want to do this. ‘”
Taking the bar exam was a big step for Vicki, but an exciting one. In anticipation of her career, Vicki has also joined Toastmasters to improve her public speaking skills and plans to sit for the bar exam in January 2023.
What prompted you to make this change? My boss inspires me. He is unlike any lawyer I have ever known. I worked in law firms for most of my life, but before that I had no real motivation to practice law and practice law.
What did you learn? I’ve learned that the adage “it’s never too late” is true. In the years when I was supposed to be retired, I pushed myself to do more, not less, and I felt rejuvenated.
Do you have any regrets? While I try not to regret the past, sometimes I do wish I had been more motivated when I was younger. It’s taken me a lifetime to find myself, and it’s still a process.
What is the most challenging part of making a change? Fear of failure. What if I don’t pass the bar? What if I’m not cut out to be a lawyer? When it comes to change, there are always assumptions. However, most of life is about starting over.
What’s the biggest payoff for making a change? It’s good to know that you can learn a lot in a law firm, even in a support staff position. So in a way, I never really gave up on that dream.
“I started therapy and a podcast.”
Louise Rumball, 32, United Kingdom
Early in the pandemic, Louise was thrown into turmoil when her live-in boyfriend broke up with her over the phone and never spoke to her again. The 32-year-old was sad and lonely because she had moved back in with her parents and was unable to go to the gym and see friends as usual. On top of that, she struggled with chronic pain and watched her friend give birth while her own life floundered. She decided to seek therapy for the first time and found that it changed not only her outlook on the relationship, but also her physical and mental health.
“If I hadn’t been so badly hurt by the breakup, I wouldn’t have gone to therapy – without therapy, I wouldn’t have disrupted my life and rebuilt myself into a happier, healthier, more self-aware version of myself,” she recalls. Louise found therapy so revolutionary that she began broadcasting her sessions live on a podcast in an attempt to show listeners how it helped her first hand. As part of her new, healthier lifestyle, she also incorporated meat and dairy into her diet, spurred in part by her ex-boyfriend’s own eating habits years after she became a vegetarian. After undergoing medical tests, she was found to have a number of dietary defects, many of which were due to her diet. “It was at that moment that I knew I had been a ‘bad vegan’ and had not been able to maintain a lifestyle or diet conducive to health,” she explained. “My pain hasn’t gotten any better since going vegan, so it seemed like a fairly easy transition for me to go back to eating meat and dairy.”
What did you learn in the process? This heartbreak won’t last forever, even if it feels like it will never end. Everything ends up happening for you, not to you — even if it doesn’t feel like it. This profound emotional change can be used to your advantage if you choose to let it make you better rather than miserable. Sometimes you don’t get the answers — you have to accept that. There’s nothing better than a non-vegetarian pepperoni pizza.
What motivated you to make these changes? Treatment. The natural course of life is helpful and helpful. It’s a make-or-break moment to know that something has to change.
Looking back on the process, do you have any regrets? (or as you continue to do so)? I have no regrets. I just wish I’d started treatment sooner (and maybe never moved in with my boyfriend in the first place).