In life, people only have two choices: either they can move forward, or start over.

• Starting over could be something like accepting a new job, moving to a new area, or adjusting to life without persons who you used to spend it with. All of these could be challenging at first, but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily a bad thing.
  
  
• Moving forward, for example could be getting promotions and pay raises at your job. Same can be said for asking a person of interest out on a date, or to dance. It’s basically moving from one page, (in that book called life) to the next.

However, both of those choices result in what people fear the most — the unknown — so sometimes people try to pick a third option, which is to stand still and simply do nothing.

The feeling of comfort and security that some people have from staying in one place and acting like there is no need to shift in any new direction (for fear of dealing with the unknown) is too great for them to even try something new. But regardless of what you do, there is always the possibility of rejection or failure.

But which choice – is the best choice?

The answer is that you should always move forward. Why is that? Because even if you choose to stand still, the world around you will continue to spin. Your parents will die, your kids will grow up, you yourself will get older, your car will depreciate, the cost of living will rise, need I go on?

So by all means, you should always move forward.

Everyone’s life is in motion

Even from an early age, we’re all taught that life is about moving forward. Kids enter pre-school, and then elementary school, middle school, high school, college and so on. Young adults want to get married, have kids, buy a home and so on.

And what happens when people are held back, when circumstances prevent them from moving forward? They become unhappy and feel dejected. And these feelings are perfectly normal.

Sometimes though, you have to start over in order to move forward. For example, if you would like to have a bigger salary, sometimes that requires you get up and change jobs, even if the job you have now is comfortable but they see no need to give you a bigger pay raise.

Or perhaps you no longer enjoy the city/town/area where you live. You want more excitement, a new circle of friends, and better opportunities for your family or for yourself. In order to move forward, you know that you have to start over.

In such situations, it becomes a matter of pushing aside fears of the unknown. It’s easy to mask your fears with a number of excuses. Yes, moving from one place to another will demand sacrifices and money but such a move may help you to move forward in ways that your current location cannot allow. People who are immigrants from foreign lands know this in ways that most citizens of the new country never can.

Buy an Umbrella

On the other hand, sometimes situations in life will force you to start over. Your house may burn down, you may unexpectedly lose your job, or you may have a sudden tragic loss of a loved one. But even after any one of these difficult circumstances, you move forward.

In regards to finances, this is one scenario where you absolutely DO want to move forward. It’s wise to plan ahead of time—to have things like sufficient life insurance for your family members, an emergency fund, and keeping your credit score up. All of these things can minimize the pain associated with a sudden tragic loss, if one were to happen.

Try to have these things in place BEFORE life forces you to start over. Because starting over without enough insurance/savings or wealth makes a struggle harder than it needed to be. And there is no excuse, because right now you still have time to prepare for these things.

Don’t broadcast it!

Regardless of which choice you make; whether it’s to move forward or start over, be very cautious about who you tell this to. Other people may not like your choice, because more often than not it won’t involve them.

Some may even make excuses or try to discourage you from doing what you know to be the best choice for you. But you’ll soon recognize that those same people who told you to stand still, will move forward themselves. So its best to not be so quick to broadcast your decision.

At the end of the day you will either know, or soon learn who can be trusted with such information. And even if they can be trusted, ask yourself: Do they really NEED to know? Because if your plan to move forward or start over doesn’t involve them, it might become their mission to stop you or convince you to remain motionless.

On the flip side, sometimes we ourselves can also keep ourselves motionless.

Is it wise to allow one challenging time period, one job, one relationship, or one event to dominate the rest of your life?

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Holding on the past can hold you back from moving forward. Never freeze yourself in time. Let go of “how it was supposed to go”, because this kind of thinking will prevent you from reaching goals and dreams that you may want for your future. You can’t move forward if you keep yourself stuck in the past. So stop analyzing and asking yourself what went wrong, just let it go and move forward. This is how you will reach living your best life here and now.

So when life takes you in a new direction and you’re wondering which way you should go – up, down, right or left – the correct answer, is always forward.^[a]

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Disclaimer: the information provided on this web site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. The author of this blog is not a licensed dietitian or medical professional. Please consult with a licensed medical professional or healthcare provider if you are seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. We are not responsible for any decisions that you choose to make.

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Footnotes

[a] You can greatly benefit by moving forward when life takes you in a new direction but I don’t want you to take that out of context. Some situations don’t apply….. For example: If you are wondering if you should drive while being intoxicated, or have unsafe sex, or do something otherwise illegal- the answer is NOT to move forward. This blog post is not recommending for you to just blindly follow this advice to your detriment, or make a rash decision with the reasoning: “I should always move forward! “, because that would be foolish. This article is not encouraging you to make bad choices. Nor is it giving you an excuse to indulge in illegal or addictive behaviors. We only encourage positive and healthy behaviors.