The only way something like this would even be remotely possible is if all of a sudden people were required to have past lives therapy, find out who they were and then keep some huge database of everyone's lives and new lives. So hey when your born, go see a therapist, check yourself into the computer and go and recollect all your past stuff!
Anyway.. on a more serious level....If there is reincarnation, Obviously the things you hold close to your heart now won't mean anything to your next heart..
Obviously if you do live again, it's not to finish where you left off during your last life..in that case you just would live 500 yrs instead of 50.