The Art of the Restart: Why It's Never Too Late to be the Comeback Kid
Here are my therapeutic musings…
🧠 I've been thinking about how most people who enter therapy face having to ‘start over again’. Whether they're grappling with the end of a relationship, a career shift, or a radical re-evaluation of personal goals.
We're conditioned to believe that life is linear; graduate, secure a job, fall in love, perhaps have children - all in a neat, orderly fashion. But life's pathway is seldom a straight line. There are twists, turns, detours, and occasional U-turns. And sometimes, these U-turns are what we need most; a chance to start again.
This phenomenon isn't limited to individuals. There are endless examples of companies that have had to start again, too. To pivot, restructure, or undergo management changes in order to adapt and ultimately succeed.
Take Apple. The tech giant was on the brink of bankruptcy after years of poor sales. In 1997, it was suffering from the rapid improvement of Microsoft's Windows software, and its own products were failing to keep up. Did you know that Steve Jobs had actually been ousted from the company over a decade earlier? Well, at that point, he was brought back to reinvigorate the company.
In what can only be described as a 'U-turn', Jobs led a revolution within the company. He terminated several unsuccessful projects, simplified the product line, and most importantly, introduced a series of iconic products like the iMac, the iPod, and later the iPhone.
Apple's journey can serve as a powerful reminder of the opportunity that lies in starting again. And Steve Jobs of being the ‘Comeback Kid’.
📢 Ask yourself:
"Do I fear starting again? If so, what aspects of it particularly scare me?"
"Can I remember a time when starting again led to positive outcomes in my life?"
“If I start to think of myself as the Comeback kid, what could I achieve?”
💡The revelation: This is a World of Longer Lives and Multiple Starts
Today longer life expectancy isn't just a medical marvel—it's a sociological one. The average human lifespan has been on an upward trajectory for decades. In the 20th century alone, life expectancy in many parts of the world increased by more than 30 years. With longer lives come more chapters, more evolutions, and inevitably, more restarts.
A US report showed that the average person changes jobs 10-15 times during their career, with many making complete career shifts multiple times (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Besides, these days it's no longer unusual for individuals to pursue different educational paths or start something entirely new in their 40s, 50s, and beyond. And relationships are also undergoing shifts. A 2021 study suggested that the average number of sexual partners in the US is 14.8. What these stats underline is the fact that starting over is not the exception—it's the norm.
Through my work, I’ve come to realise that we're not just offered the opportunity to start again when life forces us to. We're offered the opportunity to start again with each new day; each new breath.
This constant cycle of ending and beginning can feel overwhelming, but there's also something profoundly empowering about it. We always have the ability to shift, to iterate, to re-imagine things.
So if you're standing on the brink of a significant change, remember, it's important to grieve for what's lost, it's okay to feel uncertain, it's normal to fear. But also, take solace in the knowledge that this struggle, this change, signifies that you're alive and capable of growth.
Here's to starting again, and to the fresh starts that await us, not just in the grand sweep of life's chapters. But in every new day, every new breath.
💛 Product I’m loving: Give your unwanted items the gift of starting again, too, with Olio. I couldn’t love this app anymore if I tried - it’s super easy to upload anything from household items, furniture to food on here - and within minutes, someone will pick it up from your home and be genuinely happy to have it. Pay it forward and de-clutter at the same time.
Thanks for being here,
