Things to think about when you're starting something new. Plus: What's trending the week of Jan. 3 and who to follow now

Happy New Year everyone! (I think today might be the official last day where we can get away with saying that?) At the close of 2021, we pulled some numbers looking at the remarkable rise of the creator economy, and by that we meant both sides of the marketplace: a 15% rise in members listing creators in their profile and an eye-popping 220% rise in companies listing jobs for creators. 

This year is sure to bring more of the same. I know — from reading the comments and getting your InMails — that there are many professionals on the sidelines waiting for the right time to jump in, or wondering how they can make it work. So to start 2022 off right, I wanted to focus on reinvention.

There’s always uncertainty when you make a radical change, but it takes exceptional courage to make a change in the midst of the sort of ambiguity we’re all dealing with these days. Jessi Hempel, host of Linkedin’s Hello Monday podcast, referred to the last two years as, “a crash course on how to survive change we rarely choose.” She pointed out that it’s taught us how to adapt to changes that are mostly beyond our control. In her first post of the year, she declared the next year of the podcast to be “the year of reinvention” with plans to celebrate people who’ve found a way to embrace the change.

One important thing that Jessi brings up in the first episode is that reinvention doesn’t have to happen all at once. In fact, that might be the worst path.

In a conversation with the authors of Designing Your Life, Stanford professors Dave Evans and Bill Burnett, Jessi gets into the big picture of small steps: “All of the research says you fail [with change] because you take too big a step,” say the profs. “And then when you can’t recognize that you’re moving in the direction of the thing you want, you say, ‘Well, I couldn’t do it’ and you quit.”

Enduring change comes from setting the bar low, they say: take small steps, prototype things, experiment. One benefit of the “set the bar low” strategy — yes, you’re feeling out whether there’s a market for your reinvention. But you’re also discovering whether this is the direction you, yourself want to go in. The grass might look less green when you actually start growing it yourself.

People like Ben Stein, a plateau and breakthrough coach, helps people through making these transformations. The key, he says, is making sure you know what's a real blocker and what's just a blocker in your mind. “Too many people have a goal but they fight with themselves without realizing it," he says. "They end up giving up because they were unable to overcome their own belief system and programming and didn't realize that they were their own worst enemy.”

In the midst of the pandemic, one of his clients, Taylor Davis, left her job in software sales. Working with Ben, she created a craft food tour business out of what was once a small side hustle. Ben talked about how inspiring it was to witness her courage. “Imagine how scary it is starting full-time in a business like this during a pandemic where new variants come up every other month and you're looking to really build an in-person business. But she still took the leap into something that she was really excited about.”  

Believe in yourself, try things on the side, test and learn, listen to the market and train your gut. That seems to be the best way to make a big change. Reinvention doesn’t have to be a revolution. You can evolve your way into a new role.

Here are the topics generating attention over the last 7 days. Leverage these to spot audience demand and to start identifying trends. Then write your own post about one of these subjects; share an interesting video that riffs off the topic; or add commentary to a conversation. Anything with a ⬆️ is likely to continue to trend for another 2 weeks. 

⬆️ The “Great Reshuffle” won’t quit Over 4.5 million workers left their jobs in November topping records set in previous months, with the greatest number exiting low-wage positions.

📈 U.S. hits global record in Covid cases With over a million new cases in a single day, on Monday the U.S. reported the highest number of any country. 

⬆️ Salaries set to rise in 2022 According to a private research group, employers have earmarked 3.9% of payroll for wage increase this year, the biggest increase in wages in over a decade. 

⬆️ Resume gap? No problem. Taryn Stastny addresses the issue of resume gaps due to life experiences such as mental health, travel year and parenting. 

📈 Google secures Siemplify to increase cloud capabilities Google will be expanding its security capabilities with the acquisition of Israeli startup Siemplify.

Each week, I’ll highlight creators who are initiating meaningful conversations on LinkedIn. These members use a variety of tools — from live video to polls — to nurture their audience. See if any of their actions work for you or engage with them directly by leaving a comment and sharing your insights.

1. In this recent post, BetterUp’s Darren McKee offers a shout out to his favorite female follows and asks his followers to do the same.
2. Highlighting the importance of a multigenerational workforce, in this post, mid-career strategist Adrion Porter reminds us that age diversity is a key element of success.
3. In this poll, Chelsea Jay, an employee experience advocate and coach, asks which areas of the hiring process need improvement.
4. Tata Consultancy's global head of digital workplace, Ashok Krish, helps us to decipher misleading food labels in his Linkedin article. 
5.  Attorney Karen Shafrir Vladeck demonstrates the Peloton-to-professional quick change that she's had to master during the pandemic in this video.  

And one bonus bundle: This week, we published our new Top Voices list, looking at 20 athletes, former athletes and sports personalities worth following. LinkedIn Top Voices in Sports: The 20 creators to follow in the U.S. and Canada

Cover image: I put the headline into Wombo, an AI-based image maker, and used what it generated. What do you think?