Madonna goes from one image to the next, one medium to the next, one message to the next. Constantly reimagining, recreating. You might say reinventing.

John Travolta goes from sweathog to dancer extraordinaire to sweetheart to heroin addict to politician and beyond. Always rethinking, redefining. You might say reinventing.

Look at these two careers. And not just careers, incidentally, but overall lives. They have had the courage and the confidence to take stock, take advantage of opportunities, and then take a leap of faith. Surely you can think of countless examples of people, famous or otherwise - Oprah, Sinatra, to name two more - who fall into this category.

As we head into 2005, think of how you can reinvent yourself. It doesn't have to be a jump from comedy to drama or from theatre to film. It can be an inner shift, one that allows you to become more spiritual or emotionally savvy as you negotiate the terrain of your acting career. When it comes right down to it, is the yoga and meditation time the first thing you cut from your schedule when it gets harried? Is that wise?

Reinvention can be a willingness to be more open to roles outside of your normal comfort zone or niche. On the flip side, it can be a willingness to narrow your scope and focus on your very specific dream. In other words, figure out what's missing for you and then address it.

Perhaps you've been living close to the edge financially and it's having an adverse effect on your attitude. Fix it by getting the "bridge" job you've been resisting and look at it as a temporary thing to give you breathing room. Or maybe it's just the opposite for you. The fulltime job is sapping nearly all of your energy and there's very little left for your art and self-promotion. Is there a way to streamline your life to cut back on work hours? Do you need all those frappuccinos? Subscriptions? Dinners out?

Take a close look at your time and money management and reassess your priorities. The feeling of found time or found money is euphoric at best and nice at worst. What could you do with an extra two hours a week? Some extra cash? Make it a reality.

But don't stop there. Maybe it is time to make the switch from the safety zone to the all-out risky place. Forge ahead like you mean it and don't look back unless it's to evaluate the lessons learned. Create your own formula for success.

That's what reinventers do.