This Is The Part Where You Don’t Quit

When Starting Over Feels Like Sinking

We like to romanticize change. We call it brave. Bold. A fresh start.

But the truth? Starting over often feels like drowning.

You leave behind what you know—maybe because you’re burned out, maybe because it doesn’t fit anymore—and suddenly you’re swimming in uncertainty. You’re navigating change without a map. The familiar shoreline vanishes. You’re treading water, unsure whether you’re making progress or just flailing in place.

And then the doubt creeps in: “This isn’t working. I can’t do this.”

It’s one thing to take a leap. It’s another to survive the free fall that follows.

The Power of a Single Word

I’ve found myself in that exact free fall recently. I stepped into something new, started something I have long wanted to do. Now that the novelty has worn off, it feels fragile, unfamiliar, and impossibly slow to take root. Sometimes I feel exhausted. Impatient. Restless.

I mentioned to someone, “It’s not working.”

She looked at me for a moment and simply said… “Yet.”

Yet.

That one word reframed everything. Suddenly, the story wasn’t over. “It’s not working” became a moment in motion—not a conclusion, but a chapter.

It opened the door to emotional resilience. It reminded me that just because I couldn’t see the growth didn’t mean it wasn’t happening.

Yet gives me space to keep becoming.

The Sacred Mess of the Middle

We don’t talk enough about the emotional toll of life transitions. There’s grief in letting go of an old identity, even if it was hurting you. You miss the structure you had, the rhythm you hated, the comfort of familiarity. You question your ability to rebuild. You compare your timeline to others’. You doubt your worth.

But what if this messy middle is sacred?

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ~Louisa May Alcott

The storm isn’t proof you’re failing. It’s proof you’re in motion. It’s where growth happens. You’re not stuck; you’re learning to navigate uncertainty.

You’re adjusting your sails with every crashing wave. You’re not behind. You’re just not anchored yet.

Growth Doesn’t Follow a Deadline

We live in a culture obsessed with instant results—quick fixes, overnight success, perfect timelines. But deep personal growth? That lives outside the algorithm. It unfolds slowly. Quietly. Sometimes invisibly.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” ~ Anne Lamott

Maybe you don’t need to push harder or fix everything right now.

Maybe what you really need is permission to pause. To breathe. To trust that healing and clarity are happening beneath the surface, even when you feel lost.

You’re not broken, you’re rebooting.

You’re Not Failing—You’re Becoming

So if you’re in the middle of a life transition, and it feels like nothing’s working—If you’re battling imposter syndrome, questioning your progress, or doubting your ability to start over—Try this:

Instead of saying, “This isn’t working,” say, “This isn’t working yet.”

Instead of, “I can’t do this,” say, “I’m still learning how.”

Let the yet be your anchor. Your soft landing. Your proof that you are still becoming. And that is not nothing. It is everything.