Upcycling is essentially the art of giving "old" things a new lease on life. It usually involves taking discarded materials, useless objects, or unwanted products and transforming them into something new and, often, more valuable. These "new" creations can have higher practical, aesthetic, or environmental value than their original form.
Online, you can find countless beautiful examples.
It also works with intangible stuff like our skills and knowledge.
I meet many people who are stuck in what they have built. Often, it's a career created over many years of study and decades of work. And even if they don't like what they do anymore, they tell themselves they can't leave because they can't waste all they have built.
This mind trick that we play with ourselves has a name: the sunk cost fallacy.
The sunk cost fallacy is when you cling to a losing situation because of past investments (time, money, effort), even if future benefits don't justify it. In short, you let the past dictate your present, ignoring the best decision for the future.
Though, I understand the grasp that our story has on us. It's hard to throw away something we know so well to embrace the unknown.
But here's the thing. You don't have to throw away anything.
You can upcycle. You just need to repurpose all the knowledge and skills acquired through your life so far and create something new.
When I talk with people who have significant career pivots, it's always fascinating to discover how much of their success in their new path is connected to the unique skills they upcycled from their past.
If you feel it's time for a significant change but are worried about wasting what you've built so far, ask yourself how you can upcycle your knowledge and skills.
Thank you. Very apposite