There is a moment when you realize that starting over with anything is often-times a bittersweet moment. Bitter because no one likes to admit defeat. Sweet because you are starting a new chapter in the story of your life. One that has yet to be written!
But what if you never get that moment of realization? What if you’re confused and not sure if starting over at a given point in your life is feasible? What if you are just too damn scared and you don’t want to do anything that you’ll regret.
How to know when you should start over.
When you truly have no choice.
This is obviously the number one way to tell if it’s time to start over. Consider a lost career, the death of someone close to you, a failed relationship, and so on. Life, u fortunately, can present specific times and events when starting over isn’t a choice. You simply have to do it or stay stuck.
You’ve been lost for far too long.
Maybe there’s no chance of you finding your way back the same way you got there. Wow, that’s a mouthful! In a circumstance like this, you might discover yourself as a drug addict, for example. You realize you must start over, but you cannot go back to the drugs to do it. Likewise, you might have to leave a partner who is also addicted to drugs. This is when you can tell it’s time to start over in your life. It can be any type of addiction or bad habit.
When there’s nothing to lose, but much to gain.
Again this is a good reason for moving on in your life. When all has already been lost and you have nothing left that you care about, then it is most definitely time to move on to making a better life for yourself. It’s time to leave your old life behind and leap into a newfound purpose. Dig deep into the depths of your heart to find your purpose and what you want to do.
When you shouldn’t start over.
When the current situation seems like too much work.
An example of this would be in a relationship where you want to leave the other person because you’ve been struggling. Struggle in a relationship isn’t always the right reason to start over. Starting over because something is too hard, although in certain instances can be necessary, is not necessarily the best reason to start over. Sometimes the things most worth doing in life are hard.
When your attachments are too high of a price to lose.
Sometimes we look too far ahead and forget to show gratitude for the things we have in our life. If what you would lose by starting over is too precious to you, then that’s a clear indication that you are not ready to move on and start a new life. Take stock of your attachments.
When you are being self-destructive.
This is one that nobody wants to admit, yet it happens all of the time. Sometimes we create our own destiny and force ourselves to start over by pushing everything else away and being destructive. In these type of situations, the problems will follow you around to every chapter of your life until you take the time to work them out and deal with them in a healthy way.
If you keep these steps in mind then you should be able to tell when it’s time to move forward. But that does not answer the question of, how do you do it? Stay tuned for Part 2 on the HOW.
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How to Take Responsibility for Your Life and Show Up for Yourself
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