Restarting life, I think, is a positive way to learn. It’s a way to let go of what we know, embrace the unknown and uncertainty, and allow change. I’m not saying start life from scratch; that will be too much unless it’s something you want to do. I’m saying it’s a drastic change to embrace a new view in life and to be a beginner.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”
-Socrates
Looking Back
When I look back, I realize I started my life many times. Moving from place to place is like what I am doing now. I moved a total of 33 times in my lifetime. During these 33 times, I restarted from scratch, literally with nothing, three times: In 1978, with my parents when we moved from Switzerland to Portugal. We had nothing, just a car full of stuff.
In 2000, when I came to the United States. I brought a suitcase and $600 in my pocket, and in 2010, when I divorced and joined the service. I got 3 bags, of which 2 were my military uniform and gear.
Moments that made me Resilient
These three times were a significant, pivotal point in my life. It was frightening at the time, not knowing what to expect for sure, but the feeling of adventure and curiosity was an incentive to keep me moving.
We tend to be held back from creating the life we want (or desire), from our main purpose, from our growth and learning … Yeah, we do it. Maybe it’s effortless because we are comfortable with what we have and know. We feel that when we know something and are good at it, we hang to it. That way, it gives the feeling of fear of changing what we are comfortable with. Plus, it’s validating for us to show others we know something. We fear changing the status quo.
If we take action to change our status quo, it will come with the possibility of failure. We want to feel certainty; we like to think that we know something and that we are good at something. We want to wait until we feel ready to change…but it never happened; how can you be prepared for the unknown, the uncertainty?
If we want to learn and grow… we have to let go of what we know.
Believe me, I know when I’m saying the unknown is scary. The fear of restarting something unfamiliar, a language you don’t understand, a job you have no experience in, and living among other strange cultures and traditions.
Let yourself dive into the fear of change. Be open-minded to change everything, embrace what you don’t know, and let go of what you know.
Be open to failure as part of the learning process, as a process of growth. Expose yourself to the uncertainty and to the unknown. Seek to do things that you don’t know what you’re doing. Be open and public about your messiness, commitment, and failure.
Wipe out what you know to make space for what you might learn.
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
-by Thomas A, Edison