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O's Little Guide to Starting Over
The fourth installment in our series of small, inspirational books from the editors of O, the Oprah Magazine—this one a collection of insightful and motivating writing about what it means to begin again.
An evocative and motivating collection of quizzes, essays, and helpful advice about the power of a fresh start. Some of us go there willingly, others are forced by circumstance, but everyone who finds herself back at square one could use a little guidance. The editors at O., The Oprah Magazine have combed through the Magazine's extensive archives to assemble O's Little Guide to Starting Over, a collection of stirring pieces from great writers and celebrated thinkers on the topic of starting over. Contributors to include Robin Black on thriving as a late bloomer; Martha Beck on turning dreams to reality; Robin Romm on the ugly dog that renewed her faith; Jane Hamilton on discovering new talents at a music camp for grown-ups; Katie Arnold-Ratliff on a man who was reborn as a woman; Paige Williams on hot yoga as the key to a total life reboot; and more. O’s Little Guide to Starting over offers a rousing collection of inspiring essays, practical service, and motivating quizzes to help anyone pinpoint what’s been holding them back.
An evocative and motivating collection of quizzes, essays, and helpful advice about the power of a fresh start. Some of us go there willingly, others are forced by circumstance, but everyone who finds herself back at square one could use a little guidance. The editors at O., The Oprah Magazine have combed through the Magazine's extensive archives to assemble O's Little Guide to Starting Over, a collection of stirring pieces from great writers and celebrated thinkers on the topic of starting over. Contributors to include Robin Black on thriving as a late bloomer; Martha Beck on turning dreams to reality; Robin Romm on the ugly dog that renewed her faith; Jane Hamilton on discovering new talents at a music camp for grown-ups; Katie Arnold-Ratliff on a man who was reborn as a woman; Paige Williams on hot yoga as the key to a total life reboot; and more. O’s Little Guide to Starting over offers a rousing collection of inspiring essays, practical service, and motivating quizzes to help anyone pinpoint what’s been holding them back.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2016
49 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 31, 2017
Another great read and another one of O's little guides that's filled with short stories about starting over and facing adversity and problems.
January 27, 2018
A collection of thoughtful reflections on life and all the changes and joy and crap it brings. And how we can weather it. Thank you to Erin O. for choosing this one for me.
April 26, 2025
It started off great and I was very interested to see what story came next. Unfortunately, the stories become longer and less interesting without great insights.
Read
December 31, 2025Just what I needed on New Year’s Eve
February 10, 2017
A relaxing, comforting book. Quick read. A few of the essays were worth writing down in my quote book. :)
February 16, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Years ago I had gifted it to my mum when I worked for the publishers who published it. She had read it, and come January 2024, she decided to read it again. Naturally, I wanted to read it to.
My favourite takeaways are the following (not in order):
🌹 ~ but rose perfume, soap or anything to heal a broken heart or welcome love into your life
👹 ~ fail faster and harder. It is the secret to happiness and success
🎏 ~ take two risks a week to experience life outside of your default choices
🫀 ~ when I am up against fear and feel blocked, ask myself if the immovable things can’t be moved and is that REALLY true?
💄 ~ taking time and spending money to look good is selfcare and it will shift your outer world
⌛️ ~ you can fast from behaviours for lent
💍 ~ do the crazy thing! Like the woman in the book who leaves her pleasant marriage, buys her family home in Arizona, relocates her life and kids from NYC and marries the one that got away. Carlos!
🐾 ~ fixed beliefs don’t serve any of us. We can always change and try different ways of being because nothing lasts.
💆🏼♀️ ~ find a Core Synchronism practitioner and get a treatment.
This is my first of O’s Little Guides but I am keen to read more. 10/10
Years ago I had gifted it to my mum when I worked for the publishers who published it. She had read it, and come January 2024, she decided to read it again. Naturally, I wanted to read it to.
My favourite takeaways are the following (not in order):
🌹 ~ but rose perfume, soap or anything to heal a broken heart or welcome love into your life
👹 ~ fail faster and harder. It is the secret to happiness and success
🎏 ~ take two risks a week to experience life outside of your default choices
🫀 ~ when I am up against fear and feel blocked, ask myself if the immovable things can’t be moved and is that REALLY true?
💄 ~ taking time and spending money to look good is selfcare and it will shift your outer world
⌛️ ~ you can fast from behaviours for lent
💍 ~ do the crazy thing! Like the woman in the book who leaves her pleasant marriage, buys her family home in Arizona, relocates her life and kids from NYC and marries the one that got away. Carlos!
🐾 ~ fixed beliefs don’t serve any of us. We can always change and try different ways of being because nothing lasts.
💆🏼♀️ ~ find a Core Synchronism practitioner and get a treatment.
This is my first of O’s Little Guides but I am keen to read more. 10/10
March 21, 2019
The book is a compilation of short essays divided into 5 parts: Letting Go, Lost & Found, A New Day, Matters of the Heart, and Ends & Beginnings. I feel like more stories could have been dedicated to the concept of Letting Go since this is the biggest struggle facing people who wish to start over. The fear of letting go, the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure; it is these concepts that prevent most people from taking the first step.
"Make a choice, any choice. If you're still miserable, you can choose again. Eventually, you'll see that all misery is simply life asking you to trade your current course of action - or inaction- for something purposeful and true."
Despite the short amount of essays dedicated to letting go, this book was encouraging. The wisdom from a diverse group of people to pursue a life worth living no matter your situation is something people should be reminded of daily.
"If the last stop on my trip is death, what do I want to do, to feel, between now and then? ... Death is the ultimate destination, no matter which way I steer. And I want to live days worth dying for."
"Make a choice, any choice. If you're still miserable, you can choose again. Eventually, you'll see that all misery is simply life asking you to trade your current course of action - or inaction- for something purposeful and true."
Despite the short amount of essays dedicated to letting go, this book was encouraging. The wisdom from a diverse group of people to pursue a life worth living no matter your situation is something people should be reminded of daily.
"If the last stop on my trip is death, what do I want to do, to feel, between now and then? ... Death is the ultimate destination, no matter which way I steer. And I want to live days worth dying for."
May 12, 2023
3.5
A cute collection of short essays written by various editors as they explore new beginnings in their life. From divorces to death to moves to new jobs this book seems to cover just about every new start I can think of and it was all very wholesome. They really helped give a better perspective about how lucky I am despite feeling like so much is going wrong with so much being out of my control. That being said, my life is still objectively a mess right now. This was just inspiring (yet also exhausting) as I learned about how other people found it in themselves to overcome hardships that life threw their way. It’s nothing standout, but you will probably find yourself relating to a few of the essays as they are all raw and real. To be clear, this is no guide… there’s no blueprint or steps, but there are personable stories about how other people made it work.
A cute collection of short essays written by various editors as they explore new beginnings in their life. From divorces to death to moves to new jobs this book seems to cover just about every new start I can think of and it was all very wholesome. They really helped give a better perspective about how lucky I am despite feeling like so much is going wrong with so much being out of my control. That being said, my life is still objectively a mess right now. This was just inspiring (yet also exhausting) as I learned about how other people found it in themselves to overcome hardships that life threw their way. It’s nothing standout, but you will probably find yourself relating to a few of the essays as they are all raw and real. To be clear, this is no guide… there’s no blueprint or steps, but there are personable stories about how other people made it work.
October 13, 2017
Stumbled upon this in the library at just the right time...as I am downsizing from a house I've been in for 16 years to a condo. Each essay deals with a major life transition, whether welcome or unexpected, and the challenges involved in making a fresh start. The stories provide insights about the mixed emotions involved in life changes and the strength and courage needed to move forward. Some stories are more relatable than others, but all have nuggets of wisdom.
August 4, 2019
Purchased on a cold and rainy afternoon in Kalverstraat, Amsterdam on 9th November 2016 I was on the cusp of great change in my life. This book proved to be an inspiring comfort in those early days. Then enjoyable and engaging thereafter.
A collection of heartfelt essays from a talented group of American writers and a lovely book to dip in and out of when needed.
A collection of heartfelt essays from a talented group of American writers and a lovely book to dip in and out of when needed.
April 11, 2020
Finished on Apr 6 #OsLittleGuideToStartingOver as my second #book read for 2020 (post the other day). The collection of essays from various writers (including Pulitzer prize nominee Pico Iyer) were indeed uplifting, showing how someone can bounce back from any mess they got him/herself into if only he/she fully resolves to starting over. Light read for #LentenSeason.
June 13, 2020
What a great book to read if you are looking to make some changes in your life. The short stories, written by different individuals, with different backgrounds and experiences, allows you to see from different perspectives what struggles each of them went through and how they overcame them to live a great life.
July 16, 2020
A collection of essays that I found very relatable and supportive. Some of the writers are my favs so I'm a tad bit biased. Nonetheless, I appreciate the uplifting thematic structure and personal storytelling. An easygoing pandemic read.
April 2, 2021
Change is inevitable and if you allow it to, change can be an opportunity to build and educate yourself, strengthen character and support your evolutionary process.
This book covers an array of inspiring outcomes from different approaches to change.
This book covers an array of inspiring outcomes from different approaches to change.
December 16, 2016
This is a great little book of short stories about starting over. Perfect read for the end of the year while we think about what the next year will look like.
December 29, 2017
Love anything Oprah, esp. the story about the lady who had all the coffees while meeting men😂.
September 15, 2018
Quick short read.
May 19, 2020
Had really inspiring stories that were tainted by an incredibly slow pace and hence was difficult to read without feeling bored.
April 17, 2021
Letfortærlige noveller, men fine og poetiske
June 18, 2021
Some nice light-hearted fluff with good advice mixed in.
April 18, 2022
It was okay. Perhaps the variety of stories was to ensure one will find something relatable.
September 13, 2020
Some interesting learning:
-Take two risks a week: we like the idea of travelling and visiting all places in the world, but in reality not ready to leave our everyday comfort zone. Here, we can start by doing two risks(however simple it may be), pushing us outside our comfort zone
-Take two risks a week: we like the idea of travelling and visiting all places in the world, but in reality not ready to leave our everyday comfort zone. Here, we can start by doing two risks(however simple it may be), pushing us outside our comfort zone
February 15, 2017
This was a really great little book - just when I was about to put it down I stumbled upon some really great essays in it. A good read.
May 5, 2022
I enjoyed this little book of essays about letting go, finding yourself and embracing a new direction but it was not a book I garnered a lot of practical tips for starting over personally. This book is more about the stories of others and the writing was great. My tip if you are a crier (like me!) to not read the final chapter without a tissue handy :( An easy, enjoyable read.
January 9, 2017
If you like Oprah magazine than this is the collection of stories from the magazine. It was a quick easy way to finish the year.
March 29, 2017
Oh the struggle of being human...few of those struggles are collected in these short stories, of which only two stories I found truly meaningful.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews