Few words frighten people more than these:
Start over.
Yet if you ask those who have done it, they will often tell you the same thing.
The anticipation was worse than the journey.
Many years ago, I got my first real taste of defeat.
Up until then, life appeared to be moving according to plan.
The bills were paid.
The house was purchased.
The cars were in the driveway.
The family was growing.
The American Dream seemed to be unfolding exactly as advertised.
Then it happened.
Almost overnight, everything changed.
What took years to build disappeared far quicker than I imagined possible.
If you have ever experienced this, you know exactly what I mean.
The phone calls change.
The mailbox changes.
Your sleep changes.
Your confidence changes.
Your entire world feels different.
IT HAPPENED TWICE…BUT I LEARNED.
The first time it happened, I wept.
Not for a day.
Not for a week.
For three months.
Looking back, I now understand that those tears served a purpose.
They washed away old beliefs.
They cleared away shock.
They helped me process what had happened.
Sometimes grief is not weakness.
Sometimes grief is housekeeping for the soul.
Slowly, old thinking faded.
New thoughts arrived.
New possibilities emerged.
Life whispered:
“Get up. We are not finished yet.”
THE BLOW HITS HARD.
Starting over is not easy.
Let’s not pretend otherwise.
It engages every part of you.
Psychologically.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Physically.
Spiritually.
You question everything.
Your choices.
Your decisions.
Your judgment.
Your beliefs.
Your future.
Perhaps most painful of all is realizing that some of the beliefs you trusted failed you.
But there is good news.
You can start over.
You can start over again.
And again.
And again if necessary.
Human beings are remarkably resilient when they decide to be.
AS A MAN THINKETH…SO IT IS.
I learned something important.
There is no permanent defeat unless we agree to it.
The first thing I did after regaining my footing was simple.
I got a job.
Not a perfect job.
Not my dream job.
A job.
Any job.
Momentum matters.
Movement matters.
Purpose matters.
When the ship is drifting, even a small course correction matters.
The ego often complicates recovery.
The humble person simply gets moving.
FOOL ME ONCE…
The second time adversity visited my life, something had changed.
I had been there before.
I knew the terrain.
I understood the emotions.
I recognized the fear.
This time I only cried for three days.
Experience had become a teacher.
I had learned to hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
Storms still knocked me around.
But they no longer convinced me I was sinking.
There is a difference.
THE BOOGIE MAN IS BLUFFING.
Most problems arrive wearing a costume.
They announce themselves loudly.
They appear larger than life.
They threaten.
They intimidate.
They demand attention.
Yet when you begin walking toward them, they often shrink.
The monster under the bed frequently turns out to be a pile of clothes.
Fear exaggerates.
Reality clarifies.
That does not mean problems are not real.
They are.
But they are rarely as final as they first appear.
ADVERSITY REVEALS.
One of the greatest discoveries of my life has been this:
Adversity does not merely test you.
It reveals you.
It reveals your beliefs.
It reveals your character.
It reveals your priorities.
It reveals your faith.
It reveals who your friends really are.
It reveals what truly matters.
When everything unnecessary is stripped away, what remains becomes very important.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS BECOME GOLD.
I learned to appreciate people differently.
A kind word matters.
A shared meal matters.
A phone call matters.
A friend who listens matters.
A family member who stands beside you matters.
During difficult seasons, human beings become treasures.
Many of the things we chased before suddenly lose their importance.
People rise to the top of the list.
THE SECRET OF STARTING OVER.
The secret is not confidence.
The secret is movement.
Take one step.
Then another.
Then another.
You do not need the entire staircase.
You only need the next step.
Life has a funny way of revealing the next piece of the puzzle after you move.
Not before.
After.
COAL AND DIAMONDS.
Many people know that diamonds begin as carbon.
Coal under pressure.
What they forget is that pressure is part of the process.
Without pressure, no diamond.
Without adversity, no growth.
Without challenge, no strength.
Without difficulty, no appreciation.
I wrote Pearls for the Soul during difficult times.
Most people never see the pressure behind the pearl.
The oyster does.
The pearl exists because irritation existed first.
What an amazing lesson.
WHAT THEN?
If you find yourself starting over today, take heart.
You are not finished.
You are not defeated.
You are not disqualified.
You are simply being invited to begin again.
And sometimes the second journey is wiser than the first.
The third stronger than the second.
The fourth richer than them all.
The words “starting over” sound frightening.
But having traveled that road myself, I can tell you something.
The words were scarier than the journey.
And the journey was worth taking.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you