Wanting to do something different?: Leigh’s Famous Five Things to LWRSUD

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions – I figure that I can make a changes, make a new start at any time during the year. But according to the national day calendar (my go to for inspiration for LWRSUD) June is the month to start over if you miss the January deadline! Start Over Day was June 5th and it’s a reminder that it’s perfectly fine to start all over again. The messaging given to the day seems to be recovering from or fixing a failure, but sometimes we just want to do something different or be someone different and that’s not fixing failure! 

So this month’s Things to LWRSD is focused on starting over.

Listen: Young again BBC Sounds

This is a great pod series – the ultimate possibility of starting again. Kirsty Young takes her guests back to meet their younger selves and asks the question: if you knew then, what you know now... what would you tell yourself? Well…. what would you tell yourself if you could start again?

Watch: Suspended animation is within our grasp Mark Roth TED2010 February 2010

Now this is really interesting and is more of an ultimate ‘start again’ than giving your younger self advice! Mark Roth studies suspended animation, which is the art of shutting down life processes and then starting them up again. It doesn’t always have a good reputation and is usually associated with celebrities or wealthy people suspending their lives with the intention of emerging at some point when life can continue indefinitely. However, Roth’s research is primarily based on the health possibilities. Induced by careful use of an otherwise toxic gas, suspended animation can potentially help trauma and heart attack victims survive long enough to be treated. It’s something way out of my comfort zone.

Read: How to change your life: 8 steps to start over (M Miles, 2024)

This works its way through 7 steps to help you change your life. It’s worth a read as some bits of it are thought provoking and there’s a number of reminders of things that we should be doing anyway – reflecting on our values, setting goals and checking in on ourselves. I also liked the questions it suggested when change is being considered. However, there are a little too many motivational quotes and concept ‘bingo’ for me and I’m not sure I need to be told how to live my best life!  However, these are picky points in something that has many good aspects.

Sign up to: Something you started but stopped!

We’ve all started things and then stopped, and when pushed can’t say why we stopped. Now is the time to start again with those hobbies, pastimes and activities that you enjoyed and stopped doing for no discernible reason. Or think about those hobbies, pastimes and activities that you stopped for a good reason and check that reason is still a barrier. Maybe it’s time to start over?

Do: Just do it!

You’ve decided to start again – now go ahead and do it!

Professor Leigh Robinson is a Women-Space Associate and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University of Roehampton, London.