Are you in transition, too?
Tran·si·tion. tranˈziSH(ə)n,tranˈsiSH(ə)n/. noun 1. the process or a period of changing from one state of being or condition to another
I got to connect with some dear friends over the holiday weekend and it seems just about everyone I know is facing a big transition. My friend Anna’s last day at the job she could no longer stomach, is this Wednesday. Erin, a consultant, just lost her big, long-term client and is not sure how she’s going to support her family. David’s post-cancer perspective is causing him to question whether he’ll be able to return to his rote accounting job and a whole swarm of my self-employed friends are doing some deep soul-searching around, “What is uniquely mine to do?”
Most shared they find themselves vacillating between fear-gripping terror and absolute exhilaration at the prospect of doing something completely new and exciting. I can relate.
Like my friends, I am also feeling a pull to shift how I do what I do. And it helps that I’ve been here before (not only have I navigated two major career changes but I also spent ten years helping thousands of men and women do the same).
Perhaps you’re facing some big life or career questions or navigating some discomfort or fear of the unknown? Take a deep breath. Here are three things that help me re-frame when I’m in the midst of a big transition:
#1 I lovingly remind myself that I am being prepared for what is to come; things may look chaotic, but I believe there is a supreme order and plan to what is unfolding in my life. Everything is compost.
#2 Giving birth is messy and wonderful and exhilarating: in all my years of career coaching, I’ve never known transitions to be clean, smooth or easy. Expecting them to be will just lead you to suffering.
#3 I’ve outgrown my old self. Continuing to do what I’ve done, the way I’ve always done it would be like wearing a size 7 shoe when I know I’m an 8. It’s time to let go.
More than ever, this is a time to invite in oceans of self-compassion. Not only are most of us looking at big, radical personal and professional transitions, but the entire world is in flux—on so many levels. We’re in the midst of unprecedented change. And, that’s a lot to digest and assimilate, no matter who you are. Want more? Read 10 Things I Tell Clients in Transition.
SUPPORT FOR NAVIGATING TRANSITION. Here are three opportunities:
- Join me June 10th in Asheville, NC for Embracing the Wild Unknown Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat or June 23-25 at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (Lenox, MA) for New Way of Being: Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat.
- Pick up a copy of my latest book Nurturing the Soul of Your Family, filled with resources, tools and practices to help you move through unknown territory (Ch. 9 on Breaking Free & Making Hard Choices is perfect for this!)
- Check out our resources through our sister company Career Strategists; our senior career coach Angela offers free phone consults.
Live Inside Out, is a weekly blog written by transformational coach/speaker Renée Peterson Trudeau. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Spirituality & Health and thousands of women in ten countries are becoming RTA-Certified Facilitators and leading/joining self-care groups based on her award-winning curriculum. She is the author of The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 15 year-old son. More on her background here.
