What would you do if you could start afresh?

Question

I'm looking for creative ideas for a project I'm working on.

If everyone thought you were dead, and you could go and start a new life in a new identity, what would you do? I'm asking in the sense of big life changes that would take you down a completely different life path, not "I'd dye my hair".

Just want to clarify. I'm not talking about being reborn, or being able to undo past activities. I'm talking about you, right now, as you are. If you could walk away from your current life and go have a new one, what would you do with it?

Hi gang, this question is still open for another 5 days, so I just want to clarify again.

This question is not about going back and changing things from your past. And it's not about regrets.

The question is, if you could walk away tomorrow and go start a new life, with nothing from your existing life hanging on, what new opportunities would you take? It's not necessarily that you regret any decisions that you've made, or want to change anything about your life. It's that tomorrow is a completely open door with no commitments, no debts, nothing to hold you back. What are you going to do with it?

Answer 1

I would be more open and social in my childhood days. Right now, I was not social at all when I was a child. I would like to change that.

Answer 2

Wow, my life would have taken a totally different turn. If I could start over fresh right now I would have to say I would become a dancer. I would live abroad in France or Holland and I would tour the country dancing and living the arts. I would just be a free spirit and not worry about anything. I would also love to be gypsy and dance on the Broadway stage. Life would be so different going from pillar to post and living your dreams with not a care in the world. Such a completely different path from my hum drum existence as an unemployed administrative assistant. You see I am a 42 year old single mom who has been unemployed for the last 14 months doing temporary work here and there when I can get it. My life is a daily struggle and this dancers life would be a dream come true for me... Good luck with your project.

Answer 3

I would see the world. I had three kids before the age of 24. I don't regret that that's how it worked out, but now when considering traveling, I have to consider if there are things the kids want to do. If I "died" and the kids were being taken care of by loved ones, I'd go to all the places that the kids would think were boring or that would be too complicated with 3 kids under 4 years of age. I'd "kill" my husband too and take him on an actual honeymoon. lol My husband and I used to be really passionate but it seems with the kids we don't have much time to be anymore. Maybe I should just consider hiring a sitter...But I think I would try to experience life without kids if I were presumed dead, since it seems that all I've experienced this far has been life with responsibility to family first. I would definatly learn several new languages and travel. OH, I almost forgot... I'd have to figure out a way to be independantly wealthy first.

Answer 4

All the people, and the answer I've seen, propose the same thing, a complete change, an U turn in their lives, of course the past in every of this lives is a ghost who don't let them be. Some others thinks to be a total different person. All I can say is that, there is no need to be reborn to make a change in your life, all you need is courage. My answer is: I'll keep been the same twisted, an full of surprises person that I am now, I'm not happy, I'm not miserable, it's just me.

Answer 5

In many ways, the wish that I could start over and do everything differently is stronger now than ever before in my life--BUT at the same time, if I were presumed dead, and I _could_ just disappear without telling anyone, I don't think I would. There are people who depend on me now, and even though the insurance money would provide for the material needs of my wife and son for the near future, I don't think I could bear to make my child grow up without me.

I could try a snappy answer like (a) I'd show up at my own funeral, just to surprise everyone and (b) I'd contact my wife in secret and take her away to a nice tropical place where they couldn't make us return the insurance money. But really, I wouldn't do either of those things either. Much as I'd like to be able to see who shows up for my funeral or to live out the rest of my life on a tropical paradise, I wouldn't put my friends and family through the ordeal of thinking I'm dead, and I wouldn't want to separate my wife and child from the rest of our family and friends.

Answer 6

I would be a little more relaxed in my high school years, live it up a little more. I would not have been so quick to get into serious relationships, just date around more. Lastly, I would be more financially responsible, saving more money and not nickle-and-dime my paychecks away.
But really, other than the financial changes, I am completely happy with my life and have no real regrets, I wouldn't be the same person.

Answer 7

One of the ways I've tried to live my life by which has a similar theme is in the area of decision makin in general. Since your question is about regrets really. I think most of our biggest regrets come while we are thinking over our life on the death bed. ie: "I shouldn't have spent so much time at the office! I should never have said those things to so and so! I should have been more generous......"
So I have tried to adopt a method in my life for making decisions. I try to make them as though I am looking back at them in the future from my death bed. Then I ask myself "Which one will I regret more?" then I close my eyes and try to imagine it. Usually helps me make the right decision.

Hope this helps with your project.

Answer 8

I would move to a wilderness area (now I'm close to NYC), buy a 30+ acres, build my own home using sustainable resources, and consider myself a homesteader.
I would attempt to free myself from the trap. I would grow my food, work for things I could not make myself, and have a small farm of neglected and abused animals.
When I had kids, I would home school them, not allow them to watch television, and try to stimulate their creativity.
In a sense, this is something I am yearning to do now but cannot because of logistics (mainly my student loans!)

Answer 9

This question is a good one. However, I am not going to be able to provide the answer as you requested. I do not wish to change anything about my life. I am very happy with who I am today, and how my life is right now. I would not be in the place I am now if I had changed even one thing in my past. I would have missed out on life as it is today.

Everything that went before has led me to where I am today, to who I am today. Everything I went through, each decision made, each lesson learned, all wisdom gained, is due to my past. I have many hurtfull events, mistakes I made too, but they all brought me here, to this point in life, and to who I am as an individual. I regret none of it.

I am still growing, expanding on who I am, discovering what potential lies inside me. This is exciting for me. I do not know what lays in my future, but one thing I do know is I will take each event and try to make it into a positive, regardless of how bad, or horrid it may seem at the time. Each event is a learnign event. We make decisions on how we will react, how we will respond, and what we will take from it. I decided long ago that I would not allow myself to take the easy road and become bitter and withdrawn. There is safety in withdrawing, in bitterness and anger, but it is also self defeating and useless in growth. It stunts a person and robs them of fullness of joy. LIfe is difficult, hard, and often cruel. But, we can take what is good and move forward with ever increasing tools and skills. We are developing slowly, but much more quickly if we stay open and accepting of what life dishes out. It is not easy to stay open to life when life has kicked in your teeth on countless occasions. The rewards of doing so are incalcable.

I hope to have many years to continue this journey of growth through this life. We come into this world naked, with nothing but our souls. When we die we take nothing but our souls and that which we have added to them while living this life.

Answer 10

No question, save every penny i got for allowance and buy a house and a car as soon as I was old enough, and then never use credit cards again. One grocery order on credit could end up costing hundreds of dollars.
I would not care what people thought of me in school and I would not be an enabler.

Answer 11

start afresh, like really fresh!? would be interesting to startlife as a female, but still holds the old knowledge about males! and if I had the same skills and I do now, I would skip school or totally ace it and become known as the "wonder child" and then go into my area of work at a much younger age or improve my skills during young age giving me higher amount of skill in what I do.