One of the constants of starting over is being able to do it any time you want. How many times have we begun writing a letter, or e-mail, or started to tell a story and have had to start over? That is how our lives work. No matter what it is, or where in life you are we have been given the gift of a new beginning. Every day, every hour, every minute and second is a chance for a new beginning. Time marches on inexorably and we can begin anew whenever the mood strikes us. That is not to say that we should look at these time increments as an excuse to stop doing something, or withdraw completely, but when we find ourselves in a bad spot, making a bad decision or having done something that is harmful we can put on the brakes and start over.

   When I was in college one of the most valuable lessons I was taught was the first rule of holes. The first rule of holes is simply when you find yourself in a hole put down the shovel. That one piece of advice has stood firm in my psyche since I first heard it. When you have made a series of decisions that put you deep in the mire of some vexing situation stop what you are doing. Put down the shovel. In other words it is time to look around and see where you are.

   Once you realize where you are it is time to extricate yourself from the hole you have dug. Realizing that you dug this hole is absolutely necessary to being able to get out of it. You have some options here. You can replace the dirt and rise up as the hole fills back in, or if that is not possible you can claw your way out, dust yourself off and move on. Generally I have found myself in holes too deep to refill and must claw and fight my way out of said hole.

   When you manage to get out of the hole I would suggest leaving the shovel behind. Too many times we find ourselves in a hole, manage to get out, but then we pick up that shovel and move on to another location and do the same thing all over again. Einstein defined this as insanity, "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". Do not fall into this trap. As humans we tend to believe that we had the right idea and if we just try it again it will work this time all the while knowing in the back of our minds that the result is always the same. Stop it! get rid of the shovel and move on. Find some new tool to use.

  Each day is a new beginning filled with promise and endless possibilities. Move on and quit trying to prove yourself right by putting yourself in the same tired situations that do nothing for you. Begin each day without the past. Do not look at the past with regret or longing because it is gone. The past cannot be changed, only learned from. Dust yourself off and move on. Go on and carpe this day. It is a gift given to you. Do not squander it and for God's sake put down the shovel as I have, starting over, over 50.