The pandemic is in the rearview mirror of our collective consciousness, but uncertainty and upheaval still linger. Because of course they do. We had so many of the things we take for granted about everyday life yanked away suddenly and indefinitely. This feeling of unsettlement primed many of us to consider a big change — be it a new career, a new city, a new kind of life entirely. We all wondered, Is this it? Is this enough? Am I who I’m supposed to be? Or even, Is it too late to become who I’m supposed to be? Reinvention was, and still is, on a lot of people’s minds.

But what does true reinvention require? And is it possible to make a huge personal change when you’re a parent? The answer is yes — if you throw away some common but false notions and keep your focus on the process, not the goal.