Starting Over — But Not From Zero

We know.

Even if you haven’t said it out loud… Even if life looks good on paper…

We know when the life we’re living — no matter how familiar, stable, or successful it might seem — no longer fits the person we’re becoming.

That’s the real discomfort. Not failure. Not chaos. But that quiet mismatch between who we are and what we’re living.

And once we feel it, we can’t unfeel it.

I’ve been there more than once.

Still in Brazil, after many types of violence — from robbers stopping my car to losing hope in the future — I felt more peace in pivoting my entire life than in staying in a rhythm that no longer made sense.

So I left.

Straight to the U.S., the reality was: No clients. No name. Not even the language.

Just me, my family… and a quiet voice inside that kept saying: “It’s time.”

From the outside, it probably looked like I was starting from scratch. But inside, I knew — that wasn’t true.

Starting over doesn’t mean starting empty. It means starting from a new version of yourself — and letting it evolve along the way.

A version that’s already been stretched. Refined. Shaped by life — not just by certificates.

Because your past doesn’t need to be erased. It’s part of your story. And it becomes the perfect foundation for

what’s next.

The skills that really matter in life… are rarely listed on a résumé.

Sometimes, you don’t change your country or your career. But you change your rhythm.

Your values. Your energy. Your boundaries. Your awareness.

A new beginning can be external — or internal. Loud — or quiet. Seen — or unseen.

What matters isn’t how it looks to others — but how much it reflects the real you.

And that brings me to something that deeply moved me: a Hebrew expression from the book of Genesis —

Lech Lecha.

It appears when God tells Abraham:

“Leave your land, your birthplace, and your father’s house, and go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)

At first glance, it sounds like a call to leave. But the original meaning goes deeper. Lech Lecha can also be read

as:

“Go… to yourself.”

A departure that’s also a return. An invitation to step away from the familiar — not just for the external journey, but to reconnect with your truth. To go inward.

When I first came across that expression, something clicked. Not because I hadn’t practiced reflection before…

but because it gave language to what I always knew deep down:

Every true new beginning starts inside.

And maybe that’s exactly where you are now.

Maybe you’re closing a chapter. Maybe you’re questioning your current routine. Or maybe…

life just doesn’t match the person you’re becoming.

Whatever it is — don’t let the fear of “starting from zero” hold you back.

You are not behind.

You are not broken.

You haven’t gone back — and you never will.

You are the living sum of everything you’ve lived, felt, built, questioned, overcome, and chosen.

And if that sum doesn’t feel positive right now, it’s only because it hasn’t been fully reframed yet.

But once it is…

everything — absolutely everything — starts to shift for the better.

That’s not just enough. That’s power.

So if you’re feeling the pull to pivot — or to make a bold turn — ask yourself:

Does this next step bring me peace?

Because peace is the compass. It’s not about comfort — it’s about coherence.

And sometimes, the most courageous thing you can do isn’t to leap blindly — but to slow

down just enough to hear what’s true for you.

With courage and clarity,

Priscila Iwama