Fresh Page

“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to the circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.”

Henry Ward Beecher

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about the New Year. A fresh page. A blank slate. Another hole in the belt buckle – one way or the other.

Prior to 1995 the Northwestern Wildcats football teams were the most notorious losers in the Big Ten, and probably in college football. They set an NCAA record by losing thirty-four consecutive games between 1979 and 1982. Although each year brought the possibility of a “fresh page," they didn’t have a winning season in twenty-four years.

Then in 1995, the Wildcats finished the season 10-2, won the Big Ten Conference title, and participated in the Rose Bowl ranked eighth in the nation.

In an essay entitled “Good Guys Finish First (Sometimes),” Andrew Bagnato relayed this experience.

Following a rags-to-riches season that led them to the Rose Bowl – their first in decades – Northwestern University’s Wildcats met with Coach Gary Barnett for the opening of spring training.

As players found their seats, Barnett announced that he was going to hand out the awards that many Wildcats had earned in 1995. Some players exchanged glances. Barnett does not normally dwell on the past. But as coach continued to call players forward and handed them placards proclaiming their achievements, they were cheered on by their teammates.

One of the other coaches gave Barnett a placard representing his seventeen national coach-of-the-year awards. Then, as the applause subsided, Barnett walked to a trash can marked “1995.” He took an admiring glance at his placard; then dumped it in the can.

In the silence that followed, one by one, the team’s stars dumped their placards on top of Barnett’s. Barnett had shouted a message without uttering a word: “What you did in 1995 was terrific, lads. But look at the calendar: It’s 1996.”

No matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future. The past isn’t your present and the present doesn’t determine the future. The future is a blank canvas waiting to be fashioned, designed and constructed one piece at a time. The only way to create an original future is to leave the past behind.

The successes, challenges, joys, disappointments, failures and awards of the past are history. Learn from them. Leave them there. Look to the future. This is the time to create your future – you’re going to live the rest of your life there.

Don’t be like the guy who walked by a little shop with a sign reading “Fortune Teller.” Discouraged, disappointed with his past and curious about his life, he decided to consult with the mystic and ask for a glimpse into his future.

The fortune- teller looked in her crystal ball and slowly raised her eyes to meet with her client’s.


“What did you see?” he asked.


“You’ll be poor, unhappy and miserable until you’re fifty.”


“Then what?” asked the man with desperation in his voice.


“By that time,” the fortune–teller said, “You’ll get used to it.”

The future isn’t something to ‘get used to.’ Determine today that your spotless future will be filled with aspirations, adventures, action, and anticipatory energy. Don’t allow the past or the present to sideline your future potential. Let the wisdom of Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright and philosopher (multi-tasker) Miguel de Unamuno rattle your thinking a bit. He asserted, “We should try to be the parents of our future rather than the offspring of our past.” Powerful!

Get specific about where you are going this year. What pieces of the past do you need to let go? What do you want to experiment with? Who will you build a relationship with? What risks are you willing to take? What is it you’ve wanted to do but just haven’t had the get up and go to do? How will the future be different from the past?

It is time! Your best days are still ahead. . . Create a fresh page. Today.

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Carl Bard

Andrew Bagnato, Chicago Tribune Magazine, September 1, 1996