From Endings to Beginnings

What if nothing truly ends?

In a recent breathwork session I facilitated, we discussed the concept of completion and the role it plays in our lives. We often view completion as the end of a journey, a straight line with a clear beginning and end. But what if we reimagined completion as circular, or even spiral? When we fully complete a moment or experience, its lessons don't disappear; they return to us as wisdom that feeds new beginnings.

Consider how you view your life experiences, especially the challenging ones. Do you see them as closed chapters or as experiences that lay the foundation for something new to emerge? Shifting your perspective can change how we approach both our personal growth and our contribution to the world.

Completion isn't the end, but a circle
An invitation to rest in wholeness,
To gather, forgive, and begin again.

The Breath as Our First Teacher

I've witnessed firsthand how our most fundamental life process embodies this circular principle. The continuous cycle of breath is our body's most intuitive teacher of circular completion. There is no true beginning or end to breath. When we exhale fully, surrendering completely, we create the very space that draws in our next breath. What appears to be an ending (exhale) directly enables the beginning (inhale). This rhythm has been with us since birth, quietly demonstrating that completion and commencement are not separate events but a single flowing movement.

From Personal Experience to Meaningful Impact

This same pattern of endings creating beginnings extends beyond our physical bodies into how our life experiences can create a meaningful impact for others. Just as the crest of an ocean wave collapses and dissolves into the ocean, our struggles can create openings for innovation and positive change.

Consider the richest woman in the world, Alice Walton, whose personal health journey became a catalyst for healthcare innovation. After a serious car accident in the 1980s shattered her leg, she endured more than a decade of recovery, including dozens of surgeries and a persistent bone infection. Throughout this ordeal, she observed how the medical system often treated her symptoms in isolation rather than addressing her as a whole person. The care was fragmented, lacking integration of preventive health, nutrition, lifestyle factors, and mental wellness.

Rather than viewing this difficult chapter as simply completed, Walton allowed her experience to breathe new life into healthcare by funding and creating the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM). AWSOM emphasizes a holistic approach to patient care, considering not just the disease but an individual's mental health, lifestyle, and social context. Like the exhale that enables the inhale, her struggle created space for an innovation that will benefit countless others.

We can also look at Scott Harrison, who transformed from a nightlife club promoter without direction to founding Charity Water, a global non-profit providing clean water to millions. His journey wasn't a straight line ending with personal redemption; it became a circle that continues to generate life for others.

“Your purpose is not the thing you do, it's the thing that happens in others when you do what you do."

Dr. Caroline Lea, Neuroscientist and Author

When we use our experiences, especially difficult ones, to create solutions that serve others, we find deeper fulfillment and meaning.

This circular thinking extends beyond healthcare. Whether it's starting a business that solves a problem you've personally faced or simply sharing your knowledge through mentorship, your experiences contain wisdom that others need.

Completion as Compost

Think of your completed experiences, both successes and struggles, as compost rather than conclusions. What appears "finished" (fallen leaves, food scraps) must first break down in darkness, undergo chemical transformation, and then emerge as something entirely new — nutrient-rich soil that nourishes future growth. Similarly, our completed experiences need time to decompose in our subconscious, to be broken down by reflection and integration, before they can re-emerge as wisdom. Like the breath cycle, where each exhale creates the necessary emptiness for a new inhale, the breakdown of old experiences creates space for new growth.

For example, a difficult conversation with a colleague that you considered "over and done with" might later provide crucial insights into communication patterns. The project you "completed" last year might contain lessons about team dynamics that become essential for your current leadership role. The relationship that "ended" might have taught you boundaries that now enable healthier connections.

Ask yourself:

• What experiences have I "completed" that might still have wisdom to offer?

• How might my struggles become sources of insight for others?

• What patterns do I notice when I view my life as a spiral rather than a straight line?

The shift from treatment to prevention in healthcare mirrors a deeper philosophical shift from linear to circular thinking. By viewing our experiences not as endpoints but as seeds for future growth, we create a ripple effect that extends far beyond our individual lives.

Your journey isn't just about moving from point A to point B; it's about allowing point B to inform a new beginning. The question isn't whether your experiences are "finished," but how they might be transformed into something that serves others.

What completed chapter in your life might be reopened as a resource for others? And how might your personal experiences become the foundation for something that adds value to the world?

Manjit Hansra is the founder of Rx for Renewal. Through keynote speaking, 1:1 coaching, corporate workshops and curated retreats, I share evidence-based tools to help professionals prevent and manage burnout. Check my offerings HERE.