I’m starting over

Why sometimes it's just better to reset your creative journey.

Sometimes, old projects change. What once felt exciting and like a blessing can start to hold you back.

A few years ago, I created a project called Best First Lines, and I loved it. I even built a list from it. Over 1,300 people signed up. And I made it into a newsletter called Why We Write (unfortunately, a well-known writer came out with a similar name a couple of years later). But I let that list go cold.

Partly because I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

Partly because I didn’t want to write just anything or speak to an audience I didn’t really understand.

That hesitation, along with other projects, slowed down my goal of launching a consistent newsletter. Which brings me here.

I’m writing this because I want to finally start that newsletter. One that focuses on the creative and writer’s perspective, especially in a world where AI is making everything feel faster and cheaper.

AI is a powerful tool. But it’s not a replacement for human thought, curiosity, or innovation.

In many ways, even in my professional life, I feel like it’s time to begin again. I want to focus on work that matters. To build things that carry meaning, not just for me but for the people I create for.

I recently read about how Henry Ford’s first auto company failed. That failure, along with others, became stepping stones toward what would eventually become the Ford Motor Company.

Each time, he learned something critical. One of the most important lessons was about stakeholders. He realized that their vision and goals could either support or derail his own. By the time he launched Ford, he knew exactly who to bring on board and how to run it right.

That’s what I think is special about starting over. You’re turning a new page, but you’re not starting from zero. You’re building on years of experience, layers of mistakes and wins, and all of it shapes what comes next.

Here’s what I mean.

You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience

Every failure, mistake, or detour adds to your understanding.

When you start over, you bring hard-earned lessons with you. That insight helps you make better decisions, avoid past mistakes, and move forward with more clarity.

In other words, you are now an expert. This is why entrepreneurs can go on to build massive companies after several failed attempts. Or why a novelist writes a bestselling classic after years of short stories and countless rejections from publishers.

Starting over means you’re stepping into a new repetition. Just like working out, you’re putting in your reps. Then, you get to enjoy the fruits of that compounded labor.

You get realigned with what actually matters

I have a garden I tend to in my backyard. I like growing cooking herbs, peppers, and tomatoes. But if I don’t pay attention to it, it quickly becomes overgrown and unfruitful.

Sometimes, I try to revive it. But that usually just delays progress. It keeps me stuck. The smarter move is often to rip out most of the garden and start over from scratch. Within weeks, the space is filled with lush, green growth again.

This happens to creators and writers as well. Projects drift from their original purpose or values.

Starting over gives you a clean reset. You can remove what’s no longer serving you and focus on what feels meaningful and aligned today, not what made sense years ago.

And sometimes your values shift.

For example, I used to think flexibility and time were the most important things. I wanted time with my kids and wife, space to enjoy family, and soak up every moment. But over the years, I realized there are other essentials like health, joy in the home, and ultimately, peace.

Peace is now my highest value.

To me, peace means feeling secure, supported, and present. It means having time with family, without chronic stress hanging over everything. If something threatens that peace for the long term, it needs to go.

Now, when I start a project, I ask: Will this bring more peace into my life?

You create space for new opportunities

Old systems can trap you. A fresh start clears out mental clutter and frees up energy for what’s next. It opens the door to new ideas, better conversations, and creative directions you may have overlooked while holding on to something that no longer fits.

It also helps you listen.

When I feel mentally clear, I begin noticing opportunities I would have missed. I reach out to people I might not have considered before. I reconnect with curiosity. All of it opens new doors to better work, richer relationships, and deeper purpose.

Changing how you think

When I think about starting over, I picture a sardine in the open ocean.

It’s small. It’s vulnerable—or it appears so.

And yet, every predator wants it, not because it’s weak, but because it’s valuable. It’s packed with substance.

The sardine doesn’t hide from danger. It moves with purpose. It swims into the unknown, not out of recklessness, but out of curiosity.

It may live a short life. But because of its courage and tenacity, it experiences more in that lifetime than most creatures ever do, measured by excitement, risk, and the fullness of living.

What starting over looks like for me

So, I’m writing all of this to say: I’m starting over with Substack.

This new newsletter will focus on purpose, curiosity, peace, and creativity for creators and writers. I want to explore the people, ideas, and subtle insights that drive great work.

We’ll dig into the craft like how writers write, how builders build, and the spark behind everyday things that experts are passionate about—even something as small as the history and art of paprika or how to write an amazing first sentence.

This newsletter is about curiosity.

It will be called Curious Sardine.