As individuals and companies look to the second half of the year, many have already put 2020 behind them and are looking at plans and goals for 2021. The impact has forced us all to learn how to become more nimble, flexing when we need to, and pivoting as we adapt and adjust to what the world sends our way next.

Consulting with organizations and coaching teams and individuals, our clients are thinking about ways to first reimagine what the near-term future holds while also envisioning what the long-term future could look like. Admittedly some only want to focus on the near term and may be willing to go as far as mid-range planning because everything seems so unsettled.

After we get through the exercise of reimagining what they hope their personal and professional world could look like, we then enter the reinventing phase of what it will take to get there. And we have to do this because as Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “What got you here won’t get you there.” Truer words may have never been spoken. It’s time to reinvent.

Reimagining allows us to tap into all of the endless possibilities as we release our creativity and envision the type of person we hope to be or become one day, the services that we want to offer the community, and the organization that can make a difference in the world. Reinventing means that we are not just dreaming and fantasizing, but we are taking inventory of our behaviors, habits, relationships, skills, and recognizing what we will need to change so that we can fulfill our reimagined future.

Here’s the amazing thing about both, reimagining and reinventing, even in the midst of an ever-changing world, we can continue to be nimble, flex, and pivot as often as we need to in our pursuit of health, happiness, safety, and success. And here is the other thing about both, we never ever have to compromise our core beliefs as we plan for a reimagined and reinvented future.

Top-performing individuals and organizations have this in common, a commitment to their values. These are not just painted on the wall, sent around in a company email, or espoused in a team or company Zoom meeting. These are lived and demonstrated in what they do, what they say, and how they live. I can’t remember a time in my life where this has ever been more important. In our ever-changing world, compromising what we value most is a huge mistake if we are ever to realize what we had imagined for ourselves.

Again, reimagining is what we want at some point in the future. Reinventing is how we get there. When it comes to reimagining, a quote that some attribute to Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” And in a recent article posted in May of this year, the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, shared that during these unprecedented times it is important to be a “learn-it-all” and not a “know-it-all.” We all can imagine something, large or small, create an image of where we want to be. And we can all take the time to reinvent ourselves by learning something new. Most importantly, do both without compromising who our core beliefs.

Should we listen to other opinions and make new decisions based on new information? Yes. That is how we grow and evolve, should the new information give us insight on what we might consider changing. The other side of that is making sure we don’t allow ourselves to become influenced by opinions that conflict with who we are and erode our core values.

How about you? Are you reimagining your future? Are you reinventing yourself during this journey? And are you staying true to who you are along the way? I would love to hear your story at mnorton@tramazing.com. And when we recognize that what got us here won’t get us there, and take the steps necessary to reimagine and reinvent, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.