Book excerpt: Its a fact: life happens. Its easy to feel that your life is beyond your control or that your dreams are out of reach. Occasionally, bad decisions or bad luck can put you in a place where you wish you could just start overand that first step is often the hardest to make. The Art of Starting Over allows you to look at your life from a variety of angles and to discover whats missing. Using the life lesson and exercises within, you can learn how to plan and take the steps you need to create the life you desire. Whether youre starting over by choice or from circumstances beyond your control, this guide can take you down a path that can make the journey back to your ideal new life more enjoyableand productive. But first, you have to understand what makes you happy. Whats important to you may not be important to someone else and vice versa. That is why you cant rely on what others say to determine what is right for you. Only you can know what your perfect life looks like. Be unapologetic and proud of the ideas you have for your life. You can achieve it. All you need is the guidance, accountability, and motivation. Life is not about keeping up with the Joneses or impressing others; its about discovering what makes you happy, whats important to youand why.