There's just something about a new fresh start that's so alleviating to me. There's nothing in the way, and you have a clear canvas to do anything you can imagine. Even if there's some spillover to what you've previously done, how hard can it be? You've already been there before, so copy-paste the results or redo them better than you did last time.

It's a great feeling, but at what cost? To some, maybe not much. Let's start with the example of moving.

Moving

I crave moving, but it's not because I love packing my whole life into 20 giant boxes and hauling them across the city. It's a chance to pick through the last year, throw out the garbage, and hopefully get a bump up in enjoyment out of the new place. It could be a location you want to be around more or a want to be closer to / farther away from the city. It's not just a minor case of a fresh start; it's also fresh air to me and a chance to enjoy a (sometimes slightly) different perspective.

New Job

How about a new job? This one is riddled with an old way of thinking, but to me, it's one of the most fun things to do. Most of us spend a vast portion of our waking lives at a job, so we should absolutely have more say and less judgment regarding our decisions around it. As a software engineer in the bitcoin space, I typically always love my job and what I work on. With every switch, there are new challenges, new learnings, new experiences, and a new perspective on life that you didn't have before. Not to mention a new bump up in salary typically. What do you want to get paid to learn next? Go chase that and jump right in. Startups are great for supporting this mentality. My perspective has always been to kick the most ass in the shortest amount of time to provide the most value and enjoyment. Ask any of the previous startups I've worked at if they regret hiring that 1 year mercenary Tony guy that resulted in the successful exit of their company or millions worth of VC money raised off of his code.

Starting fresh with a new job benefits you, but it also helps the company. If you were great at your job, now you're no longer a single point of failure because the company has to adapt now. You don't have to quit with just 2 weeks' notice. You can extend that and ensure your knowledge and expertise can be put into processes or documentation. Plus, you learned how to build the things you did and can learn from the mistakes for the next time you have a chance to have a green field in front of you.

New Identity

Now, what about the extreme case of a new identity? Society does this more than they think, and it looks different for everyone. You could start a new Twitter account or an account on a new social media. Well, that's a new identity. The question is more about - how much of your previous identities transfer across? If you do not know anyone on that new social media, then none. You're literally starting a new identity. But along the way, you could merge the two. For some, it's obvious when it's the username you use everywhere. For others, it's linking by way of cross-referencing on the other social media accounts you have.

If someone tries to be a little more anonymous with their new identity, they will choose a different name and never cross-link. Or they may be okay with a core group of close friends to entrust with the knowledge to retain some of the reputation built on the previous identity. When we're speaking of social media - humans have grown quite accustomed to this behavior. Just think of how many usernames you have on the internet or multiple usernames on the same site. The new digital age has allowed us to start fresh like never before for many reasons that may only matter to the individual.

However, the world has also transformed into being more flexible in that regard. It is not just something that can only happen digitally. We now enter a stranger's car without even glancing to see their name - we only care about their license plate number. We can walk around a huge city, and we're treated just the same as anyone else. Show up to the same coffee shop for a whole week in a row, and you'll find that you're already treated better than the average person that lives in the city and walks into there too. Now more than ever, we can get the same amount of respect as anyone else, regardless if anyone even knows our name or what we do. Now, that doesn't mean you'll get much care from everyone. But just like stumbling into a conversation on the internet where you can only judge by their words and username, the natural world has that similar concept: words and physical appearances.

Restarts

So what is lost when you start over? In all the cases above: it's the people you're close to in those contexts, your reputation, the trust in your word, and the ability to be dependable. All precious things, don't get me wrong. I'm not just romanticizing the act of starting over. It can sometimes be considered selfish behavior, spite from others, and much harder for yourself.

But if there's anything I've found over time, it's this:

There's no such thing as a genuinely fresh start in your life. You keep essential things across your moves, jobs, and identities, but there may be fewer. Still, you'll find that they are more valuable than anything else. And why not cut out the invaluable once you realize they aren't as important?

The thrill of starting fresh has its costs, but the feeling I get and the relationships that make it across them makes it all worth it. That's the point of this new blog. To get something new started, coupled with other newish-related ventures on this identity and in my life. Some may see it as throwing away more things for the sake of new, but I see it as trying to hone in and perfect something I've already started.