Issue #5: The Complete Map (From Curiosity to New Identity)

-Last week, I walked you through my pharmacy-to-software-engineering transition. I showed you the decisions, the fear, the two years of deliberate action that looked like luck from the outside.

But here's what I didn't tell you: where the Energy-Evidence Matrix fit into that journey.

Three weeks ago (Issue #2), I gave you that framework. The 2×2 diagnostic tool for making strategic decisions under uncertainty. But I didn't explain WHEN to use it or what comes before and after.

That's what this issue is about.

Today, I'm giving you the complete map: The Reinvention Path. The six-step system I reverse-engineered from my own transitions and have since used to navigate every major identity update.

This isn't just for career change. It works for:

The steps are the same. The domain changes.

Let's walk through it.

Most reinvention advice starts with: "Get clear on what you want."

But here's the truth most people won't tell you:

Clarity is not the starting point. It's the reward.

Only a small percentage of people wake up with perfect clarity about their next chapter. The rest of us start with something much messier: curiosity.

A vague pull toward something.

A nagging question we can't ignore.

A sense that there's something else out there, even if we can't name it yet.

If you're waiting for clarity before you begin, you'll wait forever.

The Reinvention Path doesn't start with knowing. It starts with wondering.

Here's the complete map:

Curiosity → Focus → Experiment → Evidence → Decision → Expansion

Each step has a specific purpose, a common failure mode, and a clear output that unlocks the next step.

Let me break it down.

An honest inventory of what makes you lean forward. The topics, skills, or domains that capture your attention even when you don't have to pay attention.

We dismiss our curiosities as "not serious enough" or "just a phase." We edit them based on practicality before we've even explored them.

This is a mistake.

Curiosity is data. It's your internal compass pointing toward potential alignment.

Ask yourself:

A list of 3 to 10 curiosities. They don't need to be fully formed ideas. They can be as simple as:

Don't edit your curiosities based on "is this realistic?" yet. This is exploration, not commitment. Judgment comes later.

For me in 2016: "I'm curious if I could actually build software that people would use." That's all it was. Not "I want to be a software engineer." Just curiosity about whether I could.

Are you stuck here? You might be if:

Choosing one testable hypothesis from your list of curiosities.

You cannot pursue ten paths at once. Reinvention requires focus.

But here's the key: you're not choosing your "final answer." You're choosing your next experiment.

This is not a life sentence. It's a 30 to 90 day test.

Look at your curiosities and ask:

A single, clear, time-bound experiment.

Examples:

Don't choose based on what seems most "realistic" or "safe." Choose based on what you're most energized to test.

The goal is to generate data, not to guarantee success.

For me in 2020: "I'm curious if people would pay for software I build. I will test this by building a pharmacy management system and offering it to one pharmacy."

I wasn't committing to "become a software entrepreneur." I was running a 90-day test.

Are you stuck here? You might be if:

The act of doing the work in a way that simulates the reality of the path you're testing.

This is not passive learning. You're not just reading about design or taking a course on sales. You're building something real, even if it's small.

The experiment is the only way to generate new evidence.

Without new evidence, you're still trapped in the old story. You're just thinking about a different story.

Commit to a daily or weekly action that produces tangible output:

Writing: Publish one article per week on Medium or your own blog

Design: Redesign three local business websites (even if they don't pay you)

Sales: Make 50 cold outreach calls and track your conversion rate

Health: Work out for 20 minutes every single day and log your energy levels

Business: Launch a micro-offer and try to get 10 paying customers

Show up consistently, especially on the days you don't feel like it.

A body of work. A portfolio. A dataset. Something you can look at and say, "I did this."

Don't confuse consumption with creation.

Watching YouTube tutorials is not the same as building.

Reading about fitness is not the same as working out.

Taking a course is not the same as shipping a project.

The experiment must produce evidence the world can see and evaluate.

For me in 2022: I committed to documenting my entire software engineering bootcamp journey publicly. Daily tweets, blog posts, YouTube videos, livestreams.

This wasn't "content marketing." It was proof-of-work. It was evidence I could point to that said, "I'm learning this in public. You can watch me get better in real time."

Are you stuck here? You might be if:

A systematic analysis of what the experiment revealed about you. Both internally (how it felt) and externally (how the world responded).

We finish an experiment and immediately jump to a conclusion based on how we feel in the moment. This is unreliable.

You need to collect two types of evidence.

Internal Evidence (Energy Data):

Rate your internal energy: 1 to 10

External Evidence (Traction Data):

Rate your external traction: 1 to 10

Two numbers that guide your next decision:

Don't let low external traction override high internal energy (or vice versa).

You need both data points to make a wise choice.

Example:

Both scenarios require different strategic responses.

For me at the end of 2021 (hospital year):

Internal Energy: 8/10 when coding, 3/10 when working in the hospital

External Evidence: 7/10. I'd made real money from tech, gotten job inquiries, built functional products people used

This data told me: Persevere in tech, pivot away from full-time hospital work.

Are you stuck here? You might be if:

A formal, evidence-based choice about what to do next.

This is where the Energy-Evidence Matrix comes in.

(Remember Issue #2? This is when you use it.)

High Energy + High Traction = COMMIT

You've found something worth pursuing. This is your green light.

Next Step: Move to Expansion. Double down on this path.

Example: You started a side project. It's energizing, and people are paying for it. Time to scale.

High Energy + Low Traction = PERSEVERE

You love the work, but the market isn't responding yet.

This is common in the early stages. Don't abandon the domain, but change the approach.

Next Step: Run another experiment with a different method, format, or audience.

Example: You love writing, but your blog has no readers. Try a different platform (Twitter threads, LinkedIn posts, a different niche).

Low Energy + High Traction = PIVOT

The market wants what you're offering, but you're miserable delivering it.

This is the "golden handcuffs" scenario.

Next Step: Return to your curiosities. Ask: "What adjacent path might give me both energy AND traction?"

Example: You're a successful consultant, but you hate client work. Can you turn your expertise into a productized offering or a course?

Low Energy + Low Traction = PIVOT

This path is not for you. That's not failure. That's clarity.

Next Step: Return to Curiosity and choose a new hypothesis to test.

Example: You tested sales for 90 days. You hated it, and you weren't good at it. Now you know. Pick a different curiosity and run a new experiment.

Don't make this decision based on fear or external pressure.

Let the evidence guide you.

For me in between 2021 and early 2022:

My Data: High Energy (tech) + Emerging Traction (sales, job interest, functional products)

My Decision: Persevere in tech, but invest in fundamentals (enroll in bootcamp to learn what I was missing)

I didn't go "all in" immediately. I engineered a transition: framed leaving pharmacy as "pursuing a Master's degree" (which was true), moved to a city with a better tech scene, and ran a new experiment (intensive bootcamp + learning in public).

Are you stuck here? You might be if:

Leveraging a successful experiment to build undeniable proof that your new identity is real.

If you've reached this stage, it means you found something that works: high energy AND high traction.

Now it's time to scale.

1. Build a Portfolio of Proof

Document your experiments and results publicly:

This is your Proof-of-Work Portfolio. The decentralized currency of competence.

2. Repeat the Process

Run more experiments in the same domain to generate more evidence:

Each iteration strengthens the signal.

3. Tell the New Story

Start referring to yourself with your new identity:

Your language shapes how others see you and how you see yourself.

4. Expand Your Network

Connect with others in this field:

A new professional identity, backed by undeniable evidence.

Don't wait until you feel "qualified" to claim your new identity.

If you've done the work, you've earned it.

For me in 2022 to 2023:

Each piece of evidence made the identity more real. To me and to others.

Are you stuck here? You might be if:

Here's what most people miss:

The Reinvention Path is not linear. It's iterative.

You might go through Curiosity → Focus → Experiment → Evidence → Decision and land on Pivot. That's not failure. That's progress.

You've eliminated one possibility and gained clarity about what doesn't fit.

You then return to Curiosity with more self-knowledge and choose a new hypothesis.

Or you might land on Persevere, which sends you back to Experiment with a new approach.

The path only ends when you reach Expansion. And even then, you might eventually return to Curiosity as you continue to evolve.

This is the art of identity engineering.

You're not guessing. You're testing. You're gathering evidence. You're making informed decisions.

And with each cycle, you move closer to a life that fits who you're becoming.

Take a moment and diagnose yourself:

Are you in Curiosity? You feel stuck, but you haven't identified what you're drawn to yet

Are you in Focus? You have 10 curiosities but can't commit to testing one

Are you in Experiment? You're taking action, but it feels scattered or unproductive

Are you in Evidence? You've done the work, but you don't know what the data means

Are you in Decision? You have clarity but you're paralyzed by fear of commitment

Are you in Expansion? You've found something that works, but you're struggling to scale it

Hit reply and tell me which step you're in and what's blocking you from moving to the next one.

I read every response.

In the next issue, I'm going to do something different.

I'm going to show you the reinvention I'm in the middle of RIGHT NOW.

I'll document exactly which step of the Reinvention Path I'm in, what evidence I'm collecting, and what decision I'm facing.

Because here's the truth: I'm not at the summit. I'm a few steps ahead, still using these same frameworks to navigate my own path.

That's what makes me qualified to teach them.

Obed

P.S. If this framework helped you see your situation differently, forward it to someone who's stuck. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can give someone is a map.

P.P.S. Want to diagnose exactly where you are? The Identity Audit will tell you which of 16 profiles you match and give you a personalized 30-day roadmap. Takes 10 minutes. Free.

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