"There is nothing better that you can offer yourself on this New Year's Day than the gift of truth and the promise that you will live free."

— Dr. Robin Smith, from her Oprah Radio show A Plan for the New Year

"Our responsibility is to create a new standard, a new way of being in the world."

— Oprah, from O, The Oprah Magazine December 2001

"Find time to reconnect with the woman you used to be—the one your partner fell in love with. Make time for old interests, forgotten girlfriends and grooming rituals. Take long walks through the woods or along the shore. ... Activities such as these recharge your independence and reconnect you to your femininity—things we often lose track of in the stress of day-to-day life."

— Dr. Laura Berman, from the show Behind Closed Doors: Sex Therapy

"We are creatures of habit; we love a good routine because doing the same old same old doesn't take much mental effort. But getting stuck in certain ways of thinking can hinder our ability to both enjoy and respond effectively to new situations."

— Gabrielle Leblanc, from O, The Oprah Magazine October 2007

"This time around, losing the weight has become about forgiving myself for failing time and time again—and simply rising up to start over, no matter how many times I do."

— Michelle Burford, from O, The Oprah Magazine, August 2003

"Each day is a gift. Every day you wake up is a different opportunity to grab life by the horns."

— Holly Robinson Peete

"I think we all want a fresh start from time to time, and you want to reboot the system, and sometimes you want to start down a new and healthier road, but you need to clear out the old stuff first."

— Kathy Freston, from Dr. Oz's Oprah Radio show Kathy Freston's Wellness Tips

"Some people can just wake up one morning, decide to change, and stick with it. But many, perhaps most, can't. ... If you're one of those people who struggle, that's nothing to beat yourself up over—it's just the way your brain works. But it's also not an excuse to toss in the towel."

— Rebecca Skloot, from O, The Oprah Magazine January 2007

"Be fully awake and present for the whole experience—the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the part that you love and the part that you hate—but you are going to be in your life 100 percent, being 'born again.'"

— Dr. Robin Smith, from her Oprah Radio show Setting Your Limits

"You can turn a corner. You can be happy again. You can live."

— Robin Givens, from the show Robin Givens Reveals All

"What I know for sure is that every sunrise is like a new page, a chance to right ourselves and receive each day in all its glory. Each day is a wonder."

— Oprah, from O, The Oprah Magazine September 2006

"You have the wisdom within you to find the place where you can be your best self. That wisdom isn't out there—it's in there."

— Marcus Buckingham, from O, The Oprah Magazine September 2007

"Be willing to start over."

— Martha Beck, from O, The Oprah Magazine January 2004

"Be confident that on this day there is a new beginning. Without the darkness of the past upon your eyes, you cannot fail to see today. And what you see will be so welcome that you will gladly extend today forever."

— Marianne Williamson, from her Oprah Radio show A Course in Miracles, Lesson 75

"There is a financially responsible way to make a midlife career change. Walking into work one morning and resigning is not it."

— Suze Orman, from O, The Oprah Magazine February 2007

"Often a fresh start doesn't happen—not because you can't begin again, not because you are incapable or weak or not smart enough, but because somehow you are too married to the past."

— Dr. Robin Smith, from her Oprah Radio show Fresh Start

"Old habits die hard. It's time to purge them for good. You're at a key turning point here. Dive in at the deep end. Commit or not—your call."

— Peter Walsh, from an Oprah.com exclusive

"If there is pain and hardship that you are ignoring, avoiding or struggling with in your life, know that you can always start fresh—not by running away, but by fully embracing the pain and the joy that life has to offer."

— Dr. Robin Smith, from her Oprah Radio Sirius show Setting Your Limits

"New experiences can help stimulate fresh states of mind that leave you feeling both more focused and energized."

— Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz, from O, The Oprah Magazine October 2007

"Learn to stop when your body says no, and embrace new experiences that make it say yes, yes, yes!"

— Martha Beck, from O, The Oprah Magazine October 2003

"By keeping yourself in the past you will never let go. ...You have to hold on to those memories because they are what has made you who you are—but you have to start putting those things in perspective so you can move into life as an adult."

— Peter Walsh, from his Oprah Radio special Clutter and Families

"I know for sure that I don't want to live a shut-down life—desensitized to feeling, seeing, and the possibility of experiencing joy on every level. I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible."

— Oprah, from O, The Oprah Magazine January 2006

"Instead of carrying yesterday's burden and the day before's pain and last year's bankruptcy, I want you to decide that today is a new day and a fresh start."

— Dr. Robin Smith, from her Oprah Radio show Fresh Start

"With a shift in perception from fear to love, we have a miraculous new beginning."

— Marianne Williamson, from her Oprah Radio  show A Course in Miracles, Lesson 269

"The happiness I found at sea, the sense of accomplishment I felt, made it clear that I was more myself, more me, standing at the helm of my little ship than I had ever been sitting in a conference room. ... In the end, my adventure thrilled me in a way that a fat paycheck and job security never could."

— Mary South, from O, The Oprah Magazine September 2007

"I had this sort of spiritual journey and decided there was another me under all those years of work and having kids."

— Libby Gill, from Jean Chatzky's Oprah Radio show Personal Coach Libby Gill

"We all mess up, don't we, as moms? We never always get it right. ... I'd actually really like to start with a clean slate without all that baggage."

— Sinéad O'Connor, from the show Exclusive: Sinéad O'Connor Reveals Her Struggle with Bipolar Disorder

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."

— Dr. Robin Smith, from her Oprah Radio show Embracing Change

"We are meant to learn from our past without being limited by it. Although the past has many lessons to offer, it can also make us overly cautious, cynical and paranoid. While we should extract lessons and inspiration from the past, we dare never live in it. Rather, we should embrace a promising present and a hope-filled future."

— Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

"I truly believe there has to be a blueprint, and when you're young, make sure it's in pencil. You will erase it!"

— Kevin Liles of Warner Music Group, from Dr. Oz's Oprah Radio show The Healing Power of Music

"You can have a do-over starting today. But you have to get over the feeling that it's too late."

— Jean Chatzky, from an Oprah.com exclusive
Published 02/12/2010