How to Start Over: Reinvention, Resilience, and the Exit from Success

With a title like that you would think I’m someone worth listening to right? Right?

The idea of starting again is one of the most common things we go through as humans yet we don’t really know how to do it effectively and with structure?

Sometimes we do and some people are definitely quite good or even exceptional at it.

In this article, we are going to discuss practical ways to start over from a creative and productivity standpoint. The key to a successful and structured reinvention is resilience which we will also discuss the role of.

Why Start Over? Why Can’t I Just Keep Doing What I Am Doing?

That’s an infuriatingly loaded question to the extent it deserves its own discussion.

We start over to find something new, achieve a goal, when things aren’t going our way or we want change in our lives or we want to build or create something.

For many, starting over is a way to lead a more fulfilling life exposing themselves to different challenges and experiences.

As a creative, starting over is a necessity for keeping things fresh and innovative. Innovators, entrepreneurs, artists are always starting over and you will observe this through the constant progression in their work, sometimes in directions you may not understand or appreciate but to them, they are just trying to explore themselves and their work. Like a refresh or an update.

My refresh period is incredibly short and I quite frequently evaluate where I am at, looking to change things on the fly.

It’s entertaining to me to have the self-inflected pressure of doing something new. If that’s not you, you can still find ways to start over and we will discuss a few of the ways to start over.

Agree Enough is Enough

Firstly, you need to agree with yourself that enough is enough and a direction change is required.

For many this is hard enough — myself included — but internal honesty is necessary and so is discipline.

Deciding What To Do or Where To Go Next?

It’s not as simple as just doing something else:

• The Audit — Identify the reasons for “failure” and evaluate the various next steps you could take.
• Test Drive — Build a prototype, go to a trial session, watch a YouTube video. It’s about getting started and seeing if it’s for you.
• Carry Over Experiences — Don’t leave everything behind. Every piece of your past gives you a distinct advantage you just need to find where it’s relevant or useful.

Commitment and Resilience

I am sure you have heard of the 10,000 hours rule for learning a skill or something new?

I wouldn’t say that level of commitment is required every time you want to start over and in fact, I rarely stick with a particular approach or style very long. I’m always changing direction to the point I am spinning in a circle, like a fidget spinner.

Well I guess you don’t need to be committed because I turned out alright. Right?

F*ck Success

“Fuck Success! Fuck Goals! I don’t want goals. I don’t want to succeed at anything! To succeed would mark the end of the journey and I never want it to end!”

Why would I want it to end?

Wow things have definitely taken a turn!

The truth is I don’t really care about you starting over effectively (or at all). I just thought it would make for a click worthy article.

Peace suckers 🦆

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