How Many Times Can You Start Over?

Several times in my life, I’ve had to hit the reset button and start from scratch. It can get exhausting, but it’s also a chance to change or improve the outcome by making different choices.

Starting over can be difficult

On January 18, 2024, I started over on a better health journey. I had planned my “start over” to coincide with the first of the year, but life and some health issues got in the way. So, that Saturday morning, I stepped on the scale. And I cried. I didn’t like the number staring back at me and knew I had to change my habits to be healthier.

Since that morning, I have exercised every single day, whether I felt like it or not. I’ve also started intermittent fasting, a method I’ve used before with success, and limiting my calories to 1500 per day. There have been no breaks or cheat days. Do I still have ice cream or chocolate when I want it? Of course! Everything gets logged in MyFitnessPal, an app that is free if you don’t care about all the extra features (which I don’t). It’s relatively easy to use and helps me stay on track.

Has it been difficult? Absolutely. By the time lunch rolls around, I’m absolutely starving. Most nights, I go to bed with my stomach growling despite telling myself I am not hungry. I drink a lot of water, and that helps.

The progress: I’ve lost just over 7 pounds in four weeks. I still have about 40 to go to reach my goal weight. But you know what? I’ve made progress because I started over after struggling with my weight loss journey before. None of this makes me a bad person; it just makes me human.

Being forced into a new start

Sometimes, starting over is necessary because of a job loss. I’ll admit that losing what I thought would be my forever career in higher education nearly four years ago still hurts. I loved my role at the university and felt at home there. It wasn’t perfect, but it was where I thought I was supposed to be and wanted to stay.

Getting another job meant reestablishing myself as a professional in a new environment. I’m incredibly fortunate to have amazing coworkers and an understanding manager. They have made starting over at 40 much easier to bear.

My husband started over with his career around the same time to leave the university that had treated me so poorly. He didn’t share the same fears about starting over. He’s a lot braver than me when it comes to taking risks and seeking opportunities to grow.

Recognizing when something isn’t working

Most of us have had a relationship end in a way that wasn’t mutual. Whether or not you wanted the breakup, seeking out someone new can feel like starting from scratch. If we’re lucky, we learn something about ourselves along the way.

My novels represent starting over. With the exception of What I Learned That Summer, I’ve scrapped the first (or third) drafts of all the books I wrote as a teenager. Why? Because they weren’t working. I kept the general ideas from my drafts, but I started over when I rewrote the stories for publication.

My work-in-progress, Four Hearts, is a rewrite as well. The story takes a different direction from my first draft and has new characters and a slightly different premise. The old version wasn’t working. Learn more about how much truth I put into my fiction.

Whether leaving a first draft behind, getting out of a relationship, or quitting a job, recognizing that something isn’t working is the first step in successfully starting over.

Navigating false starts

The thing with starting over is sometimes it takes more than one try to get it right. How many times can you start over? As many as it takes to get it right—whatever “right” is. That means that if something isn’t working, it’s okay to stop and try something else. Quitting isn’t always the end; sometimes, it’s the beginning of something greater.

What’s something you’ve had to start over? Let me know in the comments if you feel like sharing.

Thanks for reading,

-Brandi Easterling Collins

Featured Image by brgfx on Freepik