Are you ready for the new beginnings? What does it mean to start over?

While we’re on the subject of new beginnings, let’s talk about the endings.

Let me tell you a Zen story that I read few years back. And, yes,we still need stories that provides us meaning of life, inspire and motivate us to embark on a new journey. This story teaches us that life is ever-changing and it’s not permanent.

The Crystal Cup

A Zen Master was gifted a beautiful crystal cup by his disciple. He loved the glass as it glistened in the sun. One day some visitors came to the master and asked, “How can you be happy in this world of impermanence?”

The master replied, “One of my disciples gifted me this crystal glass. I enjoy drinking water in this glass. I touch it and it rings!” 

Master took a deep breath and continued, ” One day the wind may blow it off the shelf or it can topple from the table. And I say, ‘Ah. Yes!’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”

The master is aware that material things will break one day but the experience lasts forever. With every ending, there is a new beginning.

A glass will eventually break!

The essence of this story is that nothing is permanent. Everything and everyone comes with an expiry date. Like our good days, bad days also have an expiry date. The wisdom you gain from your experience lays the foundation of the new beginning. 

The only thing permanent is the change!

The question is – how often are we ready to embrace the changes? What makes us anxious even though we know the outcome?

Here are some quotes to motivate you for the new beginnings:

Life is about change, sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s beautiful, but most of the time it’s both. — Kristin Kreuk

“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” — Sigmund Freud

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.” — Gail Sheehy

“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.” —Guy Finley

“The beginning is always today.” —Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ― Rumi

“Nothing is predestined. The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.”-Ralph Blum

“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”-  C.S. Lewis

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” —Seneca

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” — Alan Watts

“You’re off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” — Dr. Seuss

“Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose — not the one you began with perhaps, but one you’ll be glad to remember.”- Anne Sullivan 

Endings are powerful. It gives you an option to start over. Stay focused. “And a healthy mind — calmer, clearer, and contented — is less prone to being emotionally reactive during the highs and lows, and the successes and setbacks.”- Headspace

Practice and learn about mindfulness! 

Do share your favorite quote.

Lots of Love

xoxo