Art of Starting Over 2026: Before You Start Over, Do This

Last week was our first week back, and you may have missed the short prayer and story we shared with you. If so, be sure to read it either before or after reading this one. Here is the link.

This week, I want to talk to you about how starting over begins. It usually happens one of two ways.

The first way is slow. You’ve had a longing feeling for some time. You might be waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. and can’t seem to get back to sleep. You may feel like you’re having a midlife or existential crisis. You start questioning your life, both personally and professionally. You want change, but you have no idea what to do next.

The second way is with a jolt. You don’t see it coming. Out of the blue, you’re laid off, you catch your spouse cheating, you lose a loved one, or you have a near-death experience.

To simplify it, starting over comes either from a long period of time and repetition wearing you down or from a catastrophic event jolting you. Either way, you find yourself at the beginning of a starting-over journey. So what is the first thing you do?

I’ll tell you what I did.

Part of writing The Art of Starting Over came from my own experience. The first thing I had to do in order to start over was to stop. I had to change my habits and create new ones. That meant stopping my time with certain people, stopping going to the same places, and even stopping the way I thought about things. In order to start over, I had to learn how to stop.

Right now, I’m living in Tirana, Albania, and there are many things I had to stop doing in order to embrace this new place. Some people draw a line in the sand and declare that they are expats. I haven’t done that. I decided that I would live outside the U.S. for at least six months out of each year, and I’ve done that for the past four years.

Doing this meant starting my business over, my friendships over, and learning to communicate differently. I had to learn a new language and get used to being misunderstood. I had to learn what it felt like to be the minority in a way that wasn’t negative, but curious. People often want to know why I’m in their country when they want so badly to be in mine. Some want to see the United States through my eyes. Others want to teach me about their country and help me understand why I would choose to be there.

Over the past four years, I’ve lived in Portugal, Thailand, France, Mexico, Malaysia, Monaco, and now Albania. In a few weeks, I’ll be in Dubai.

I’ll take some time to share my journey with you while also sharing tips on starting over. You don’t have to leave your country or even your city. Your path doesn’t have to look like mine. But you will have to do some of the same internal work, which is why I want to share my story.

Another reason I believe this is important is because there are things I’ve experienced in other countries that are very different from life in the U.S. The day-to-day pace, the values, the cost of living, and especially the food.

I’ll keep it entertaining while walking you through the steps of starting over. This is a step-by-step process, and the focus will be on your personal life, not your professional one. We can get to that later. One thing I’ve learned is that every other country I’ve visited puts personal life first, and that may be part of what we struggle with in the U.S.

We prioritize our professional lives and try to squeeze our personal lives in afterward, but that rarely works. By the time the work is done, there’s no room left. And even if there is time, there’s often no energy.

So this starting-over journey will focus on personal success first, and letting your professional life grow out of who you are personally.

That’s all for now. You have your first step.

Ask yourself this question:
What do I need to stop doing in order to prepare for what’s next?

Lastly, if you’re feeling confused or questioning whether you’re moving in the right direction, I want you to know that I am a therapist who specializes in helping people find clarity. Many of the people I work with are already in motion. They’re ready for change. They just want to be sure they’re choosing the right path.

If starting over is keeping you awake at night, I have a free resource designed to help you quiet the noise and gain perspective.

If you need more support, I also offer a Group Vision Session that comes with a 10-day meditation series called Control the Controllable. It’s a step-by-step guide to gaining control by letting go. You’ll work the 10-day guide at your own pace and you’ll bring your questions to the live Vision Session where we work together to clarify your vision and prepare for what’s next.

You can access all of my available resources here:
https://www.kinecorder.com/connect-with-kine

I look forward to going on this quest with you.