Beginning Again: How to Start Over With Purpose (Philippians 3:12-14)

Moving Forward in 2026 With Clarity and Faith

Key Takeaways

Starting over isn’t failure. It’s alignment. Sometimes it’s the most honest move you can make when life shifts.
Philippians 3:12–14 reframes progress: you’re not “behind,” you’re in process. The call is to keep reaching forward.
You can’t press forward while carrying what’s behind. Release the guilt, the old roles, the forced timelines, and the patterns that keep you busy but not better.

Make 2026 practical: name what you’re releasing, choose one direction for Q1, and build one weekly action you can repeat.

As 2025 winds down and we step into 2026, a lot of people are dreading “starting over” like it’s a punishment. Like it’s proof you failed. Like it’s what happens when you don’t plan well, don’t grind hard enough, don’t pray enough, don’t get it right the first time.

I’m not buying that anymore.

Starting over can be a gift.

Not a soft, cute kind of gift.

A necessary one.

Sometimes beginning again is the most honest thing you can do, especially when life has shifted.

Your work.

Your health.

Your relationships.

Your sense of identity.

This is what I coach people through. If any of those shifts feel familiar, this is your permission to begin again with intention.

For 2026, I chose one guiding scripture for the year: Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV).

I picked it a few weeks ago because it captures the posture I want for the coming year: not pretending I’ve arrived, not living in the past, not stuck in analysis, but moving forward on purpose.

Paul says it plainly. No pretense. No spiritual performance.

“Not that I have already attained… but I press on…” (Philippians 3:12, NKJV)

Then, this past Sunday, my pastor gave his year-end message from that exact scripture.

Same passage.

Same direction.

And his title was: “Starting over isn’t a bad thing.”

If you want to hear it in his words, you can watch the message here.

I’m not the kind of person who needs a sign for everything, but I do pay attention when something lands that clean. That felt like confirmation. Not just for the scripture, but for the theme: beginning again.

Here’s how I’m approaching starting over in 2026, and how you can begin again without shame.

What “Beginning Again” Means When Life Doesn’t Cooperate

In Philippians 3:12–14 (NKJV), Paul is describing a mindset for spiritual growth and forward momentum. He’s honest: he’s not where he wants to be yet. But he’s also disciplined: he refuses to live in the past, and he’s deliberately pursuing what God has for him.

Here’s what I hear Paul saying:

1) I’m not finished.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected…” (v.12)

2) I’m actively pursuing purpose, not coasting.

“…but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (v.12)

3) I’m not letting the past drive the future.

“…forgetting those things which are behind…” (v.13)

4) I’m reaching forward with intention.

“…and reaching forward to those things which are ahead…” (v.13)

5) I’m locked on the real target.

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (v.14)

(Scripture reference: Philippians 3:12–14, NKJV. Source: Blue Letter Bible.)

This passage didn’t just inspire me. It corrected me.

Beginning again does not mean you erase your story.

It means you stop letting your story control you.

It means:

You acknowledge what happened without letting it define what happens next.
You accept what is without surrendering what could be.
You stop romanticizing the old version of you and start building the next one.

Beginning again is not denial. It’s alignment.

My 2025 Reset: Layoff, Delayed Plans, and Learning to Keep Moving

This is where Philippians 3:12–14 stopped being a passage I admired and became a passage I needed.

2025 started with a solid plan. Not wishful thinking. A plan.

Prepare for an impending layoff, expecting a lump sum payout that would allow me to relocate by April 2025.
Rely on my professional reputation and skills to secure another job within a few months.
Keep building the PR4LIFE coaching practice as an additional income stream.
Continue my walk toward Deaconship with a deeper understanding of purpose, calling, and “why.”

That was the blueprint.

What Actually Happened

I didn’t get a lump sum payout when I was laid off. Instead, I received continuing pay for 23 weeks. On paper, that sounds like a win. In real life, it meant the relocation got delayed and the timeline I built my year around disappeared.

Then came the part I didn’t expect to write.

Despite my professional reputation and skills, I found myself virtually unemployable. Finding another position in my field proved near impossible.

As my continuing pay came to an end, I faced something I’ve never experienced in my life: the reality of relying on unemployment for income and depleting savings to survive.

And the coaching practice? It’s not growing at the pace I want. I’m constantly tweaking and adjusting offers, trying to speak more clearly, serve more consistently, and attract the right clients.

Building a business and a brand has been more challenging than I anticipated and it can drain resources while you’re trying to create them.

So, at the end of 2025:

I still haven’t relocated.
I haven’t found gainful employment.
The coaching practice feels stagnant.
My resources are exhausted.

Confidence is quiet.

Faith feels like grit more than grace.

And I still have to keep showing up, even when the results aren’t there.

If any of this sounds like your year, and you’re carrying more than you expected into 2026, don’t sort it out alone.

Book a free Strategy Session and get clear on what comes next.

Where “Beginning Again” Meets Reality.

This is exactly where most people start bargaining with the past.

They replay what should have happened.

They relive what didn’t happen.

They carry the weight of disappointment like it’s responsibility.

But Philippians 3 doesn’t give Paul the option to live there. He doesn’t deny the struggle; he refuses the trap.

“Not that I have already attained… but I press on.”

That’s pursuit. Not perfection.

That’s what I’m choosing, even when I don’t feel strong.

Beginning again, for me, doesn’t mean pretending this year didn’t hurt. It means refusing to let what didn’t happen define what happens next. It means acknowledging the disappointment without building a home inside it.

Because sometimes “pressing forward” isn’t a big leap.

Sometimes it’s getting up and choosing direction again when nothing looks the way you planned.

What I’m Taking Into 2026

This year stripped away some assumptions I didn’t know I was standing on: security, timing, predictability, and the belief that effort automatically equals outcome.

But it also clarified something I don’t want to lose:

I can’t control how 2026 unfolds.

I can control whether I keep moving with purpose.

So, my posture going into 2026 is simple:

I’m still in process.

I’m still called.

I’m still pressing.

Which means I have to let some things go.

What I’m Leaving Behind

Paul’s language is strong: “forgetting those things which are behind.” That doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened. It means I’m not dragging 2025 into 2026 like a suitcase full of disappointment.

Because 2025 tried to hand me a story I didn’t ask for: delayed plans, doors that stayed closed, and a version of “starting over” that didn’t come with a neat timeline or a happy ending.

So here’s what “behind” looks like for me going into 2026:

1) The belief that my worth is tied to my employment status

I’m not chasing “another job” as the definition of stability. I’m building an income stream based on my career experience. That’s the direction. That’s the long game.

2) The quiet shame of needing help and watching savings shrink

Help is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign of maturity and growth. I’m grateful for the resources I had. And I believe those resources will be restored.

3) The pressure to force a timeline God never promised

I’m still learning patience. I’m still learning to give myself grace, knowing this is a time of preparation, even when I don’t fully know what I’m being prepared for.

4) The habit of tweaking and reworking nonstop because I’m afraid stillness means stagnation

Stillness brings clarity. Clarity brings aligned action. Be still.

5) The temptation to call survival “failure” just because the results weren’t what I planned

Survival may have felt like a setback, but it was also a teacher. It reminded me of my persistence and my resilience.

And maybe this is the real gift of 2025: it helped me notice the small wins, the lessons in the delays, and the growth that happened even in survival mode.

You can’t press forward while gripping what’s behind.

What do you need to leave behind to press toward your best 2026?

What I’m Pressing Toward

When Paul says, “I press on,” he’s not being poetic. He’s describing a posture. A decision. Movement when you’re not fully healed, not fully funded, and not fully certain, but still unwilling to quit.

That’s what this season is requiring of me.

After a year where plans didn’t unfold the way I mapped them, where doors stayed closed longer than expected, and where I had to learn how to survive without calling it failure, pressing forward has to mean something real.

It means I stop negotiating with what’s behind me.

It means I release the weight I’m not supposed to carry into the next season.

It means I move with intention, not anxiety.

So here’s what I’m pressing toward in 2026:

Clarity over confusion

Not frantic tweaking. Not constant second-guessing. Stillness first. Direction second.

Standards over comfort

Comfort will tell you to shrink your goals to match your circumstances. Standards remind you who you are even when circumstances are loud.

Progress over perfection

I’m not waiting until everything feels stable to move. I’m building forward in real time.

Obedience over applause

This year made it clear: you can do the “right things” and still not get immediate outcomes. I’m learning to stay faithful without needing instant validation.

Purpose over popularity

I’m not chasing attention. I’m building a life and an income stream aligned with what I know I’m called to do.

I’m not interested in doing more. I’m interested in doing what matters, consistently.

Because for me, 2026 isn’t about reinventing myself with a fresh slogan.

It’s about choosing direction again, and pressing toward the mark, one aligned step at a time.

If You’re Starting Over Too, Here’s the Reframe

If you’re ending this year tired, disappointed, unsure, or carrying regret, listen carefully:

Starting over is not a step backward.

It might be the first step forward you’ve taken in a long time.

Sometimes the win is not “finishing strong.” Sometimes the win is deciding you’re not quitting.

Beginning again is how you rebuild momentum without pretending you didn’t get hit.

A Practical Reset for the Start of 2026

If you want “beginning again” to be more than a phrase, you need a reset you can actually live with. Not a full life overhaul. Not ten goals. Just a clear move in the right direction.

Step 1: Release What You’ve Been Dragging

Write one sentence: What am I leaving behind in 2025?

No essays. No explanation. Just the truth.

Prompt: What am I calling “normal” that is quietly holding me back?

Step 2: Define What You’re Reaching For

Before goals, get clear on direction.

Write one sentence: In 2026, I’m pressing toward _______.

Prompt: What do I want to be true about me by March 31, 2026?

Step 3: Choose One Direction for Q1

Not ten categories. One lane.

Pick one focus area:

Health
Finances
Relationships
Career
Spiritual growth
Identity and habits

Prompt: If I only made progress in one area this quarter, which one would change everything else?

Step 4: Build One Weekly Action You Can Repeat

Consistency beats intensity. Every time.

Choose one weekly action you can sustain even when motivation is low:

3 workouts a week
1 networking reach-out every Monday
Sunday planning session (30 minutes)
2 coaching content posts per week
One hard conversation you’ve been avoiding
15 minutes of prayer/journaling 5 days a week

Prompt: What’s the smallest action that proves I’m serious?

Step 5: Stop Negotiating With the Past

The past will keep trying to pull you into old loops: regret, shame, replay, and “should’ve.”

Write this line and finish it:

I’m done negotiating with _______.

Prompt: What’s the next right step I keep avoiding because I want a perfect plan first?

Close It With This

Take five minutes and answer these in writing:

What am I calling “starting over” that is really “starting aligned”?
What part of my past keeps trying to follow me into my future?
Where have I been busy but not progressing?
What would pressing forward look like in one specific area of my life this week?
What’s one decision I can make in the next 24 hours that supports the person I’m becoming?

Write your answers. Don’t just think them. Thoughts evaporate. Ink stays.

This is what beginning again looks like in real life: release what’s behind, regain clarity, and move forward with purpose.

If you want to go deeper, start here:

How to go From Survival to Strategy with Purpose

When you’re tired of just getting through the week and ready to rebuild with intention.

How to Reclaim Your Value

For the moments when job loss, delay, or disappointment tries to mess with your identity.

Why Letting Go Feels So Hard

A breakdown of the mental and emotional grip of the past and how to release it without pretending it didn’t matter.

Final Thought

I chose Philippians 3:12–14 for 2026 before I knew how much I’d need it. After the year I’ve had, I understand why this passage isn’t comforting, it’s clarifying.

2025 forced me to live without the outcomes I expected. Plans shifted. Doors stayed shut. Money got tight. Confidence got quiet. And faith felt more like grit than grace. I didn’t get the clean resolution I wanted, but I did get something just as valuable: a clearer picture of what I’m made of, what I’m called to, and what I can’t keep carrying.

Paul’s words give me a usable focus going forward: stop measuring life by whether it went “according to plan,” and keep reaching for what’s ahead.

So, I’m entering 2026 with less illusion, more clarity, and a steady commitment to keep taking the next right step, even when it’s not dramatic and even when nobody claps.

If you’re standing at your own reset point, hear this: you don’t need a perfect restart. You need a true one.