Do New Beginnings Mean Eliminating the Past?

Do New Beginnings Mean Eliminating the Past?

This is a valid question to ask yourself, because how you answer it can affect your success in creating the new beginning you are truly looking for.

In Buddhism, we say that things are perfect as they are. But this idea can feel confusing. If things are perfect as they are, why should we change anything? What is the need for a new beginning, anyway? These are important questions to consider as we traverse the turning of the year and feel socially called to create intentions and goals for the year ahead. After all, if we are always setting goals, aren’t we implying that things are anything but perfect?

When we investigate experience with an analytical and logical mind, we open up space to see more clearly what is true. When we say that things are perfect as they are, what we are really pointing to is this: what may need to change is not the past or even the circumstances of our lives, but rather the way we see things.

And this, my friends, is a new beginning—not something that eliminates the past or discounts what has happened to us, but rather a new way of looking at and relating to experience. It asks us to consider whether we have perhaps been seeing things in a way that limits us.

Investigating What Is True

For instance, when you investigate yourself, what do you find? Do you find a solid, independently existing you—some unchanging thing you can confidently call "me"? Likely not. When we really look, we find that we are made up entirely of pieces—constantly changing parts.

Ask yourself: Is there an independent me? Truly look. What we find is that this "self" is completely dependent on other things. Is this "me" I think I am unchanging? Again, no. Not only are we interdependent pieces, but these pieces are constantly shifting. Nothing about us stays the same—not even for a second.

This perspective frees us. It allows us to see experience in a new way—as interdependent, always changing, and interconnected. This new way of looking at reality is the true new beginning. The very moment we begin to investigate what is true about experience versus what we have been conditioned to believe is true, we are beginning again.

Integration, Not Elimination

When we were born, most of us inherited a narrative of a self that is solid, unchanging, and independent. Armed with this perspective, we relate to everyday experience as though it is the same—solid and unchanging.

But when we begin to analyze our lives, breaking down the past narratives that shape our choices, emotions, and behaviors, we can finally do something powerful: integrate who we truly are with how we live fully.

Integration is not a process of elimination. It is, rather, the beautiful act of allowing things to be how they truly are—without blocking, denying, ignoring, or indulging. When we integrate ourselves—seeing reality as it is and bringing our interdependent, constantly changing pieces together—we create a new beginning for how best to work with ourselves. And this ultimately leads to more joy.

Why? Because living according to a false paradigm of reality feels bad. It may not always be obvious—just a subtle sense that things are off or could be better. But however it shows up, unless we are living in alignment with how reality truly is, we feel it. No matter what.

A New Way of Seeing

This feeling of something being off, of something in need of fixing, is wisdom. It’s a deep knowing that we are interacting with reality in a false way—but not quite knowing what to do about it. And this is why a new beginning is so important. It’s also why the ritual of the new year can be so monumental in shaping our futures.

When we approach the idea of new beginnings through logical analysis—calling ourselves to look at reality in a different way—that’s when we cultivate true newness in our lives. Otherwise, we repeat cycles of denying or suppressing what is true. New beginnings cannot eliminate the past. Every new moment is shaped by the past, and in that way must honor and include it. The question is not whether we include the past in our new beginnings, but rather how we can view the past in a new way so that it colors our future with fresh possibilities.

Cultivating Compassion and Curiosity

As we investigate and challenge ourselves to look at life anew—to ask what is true about experience—we naturally begin to accept ourselves more. We cut ourselves some slack, appreciate ourselves more, and offer ourselves greater compassion. This newness then ripples out into how we relate to others and the world.

Looking at reality analytically and really seeing what is there makes change easier. When we approach new beginnings like this, we’re no longer saying, “I need to be different; something about me is wrong.” That approach breeds shame and guilt. Instead, we find that we don’t have to force anything—change begins to happen naturally. The process of looking catalyzes this change, guiding us to the new beginning we’re truly after: a new way of relating to experience that is in alignment with how experience actually is.

Begin Again

This year, if you’re seeking a new beginning, I invite you to apply this analysis in your own life. See for yourself what is really true. No matter how much someone tells you something, in the end, it is only your direct experience with a thing that truly makes a difference. Take your direct experience and begin again. Look with fresh eyes, and find the new beginning you deserve.