Theresa M. Szczurek //October 1, 2014//
You’ve been through it. We all have. It’s when the winds of change start blowing. Transition is coming. It may be in your personal life or in your professional life. These times are upon me now. Our daughter Annie is heading off to college. How could 18 years go by so fast? There is enjoying every moment we still have left in the ending – packing, driving to college, and helping her move into that dorm room. There is the sadness of leaving behind the life we have had together and experiencing emptiness. There is joy and anticipation for her and my new beginning.
I recall leaving for college. I was excited to leave home, spread my wings to fly, and embark on the next BIG phase of my life. The sky was the limit. I was ‘Born Ready’ for this new beginning. My mom was not. I recall the sad look in my mom’s face as I was leaving. My daughter is ready. I am getting ready. What about you? How do you react to these life transitions?
What is Transition?
Webster.com defines ‘transition’ as a passage from one state, stage, subject or place to another. Change. A movement, development, or evolution.
What Major Transitions Stand Out for You?
Transitions, big and small, are part of both our personal and professional lives. Think back on your life – what transitions have you experienced? Leaving home to go to the next phase of your life, starting a first long-term job, getting married, losing a job, ending a relationship, death of a loved one, moving to another part of the country, getting pregnant, bringing a child into this world, starting a new company, and so many more. What have you learned from these times in your life?
Process for Transitions
In his seminal book Transitions, William Bridges, explains that there is a three-phase process:
Practical Pointers for Successful Transitions
1. Recognize this is a process. It is okay to take time and allow. Be kind and patient.
2. Learn from Endings. It is important to let ourselves or others in transition react to endings. Our endings are often brought about by the very acts and words that we believed would keep things going.
3. Surrender to Renewal. In the neutral-zone, give in to the emptiness and stop struggling to escape it. The process of transformation is essentially a death and rebirth process. The gap between the old and new life is a source of renewal. Bridges makes recommendations for finding meaning in the Neutral Zone:
4. Make a New Beginning. Bridges makes these recommendations:
Transitions are a part of life. The process includes ending, going in-between into the neutral zone, and then making a new beginning. Finally, you will be ready. Then act!