Navigating a Season of Transition?Here’s How – Part 1 of 3
Take a look online, or talk to your friends, family and peers. It seems like everyone is experiencing change this month - empty nesters, first day of school, new routines, and new Fall work initiatives are upon us. Change is pervasive and expansive!
Language and awareness matter as we talk about our shifting environments. Change happens to us; transition happens within us. Just because an external change has happened, it doesn’t mean that we have transitioned internally, that we have acknowledged, processed and gained acceptance of the change. We still need to reckon with loss and meaning to truly transition.
To help make sense of the external and internal processes, William Bridges defines 3 stages of transition: Ending, Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings.
Endings: The identification of what you are losing and how to manage through those losses
Neutral Zone: The in-between time, or as we like to call it “the messy middle.” The old way is no longer available but the new way forward has not yet been determined.
New Beginnings: The new beginning holds new direction, new energy, new way of being. It is the embodiment and acceptance of a new identity and orientation.
Endings always have loss, regardless if they are deemed positive or negative. As discussed in the podcast referenced above, Bridges indicated that there 7 kinds of loss that people feel:
Loss of meaning and purpose
Loss of control
Loss of identity
Loss of future
Loss of attachments
Loss of turf
Loss of structure
It’s possible that we can experience multiple - or even all! - of these when experiencing transition. This can prevent us from moving into transition.
When there is an ending - consider how you want to proceed and respond even if you didn't choose the change.
What am I losing?
What is my response?
What am I holding on to?
What are the true barriers to move forward internally?
Building awareness is often the precursor to action - that which we know we can manage. Next month we’ll explore the messy middle of the Neutral zone to deepen our awareness and actions.
