By Siobhan Murphy -

Are you in transition?

Recently, I attended a professional meeting and fully a third of the attendees identified themselves as “in transition.” They meant that they are in between jobs. Yet, the other attendees could also identify themselves as “in transition” since we are all in the midst of a larger “Transition” from the old paradigm economy to a new one. It can be challenging to remember our gifts and strengths during this transition.

While we can usually point to some event in our lives that marks a change, the inner experience often takes longer. Change can be identified by the event: the dog died, the baby was born, the stock market fell, the position was eliminated, or you got the job. The inner journey to emotionally integrating the change is a different matter altogether.

William Bridges, in his book, Transitions, identifies three stages that most of us experience in response to change: Endings, the Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings. Why begin with Endings? Because our energy has been tied up in the “way things were” and needs to be grieved and let go. We may experience sadness or a sense of loss when the familiar is no longer present.

The neutral zone is often a place of confusion. We are changing our habits from the old way to the new way. We’re not quite “in sync” with what to do or how to be. In new beginnings, we often feel a sense of excitement and we have moved through the loss felt in endings and the discomfort of the neutral zone. We get “in the groove”.

Imagine a potted plant being transplanted from its small pot to a larger pot. It has spent its life in the familiar surroundings of the pot it lives in. It has grown and become root bound. In fact, it cannot grow any further. Its roots are trying to stretch as the plant grows, but they keep hitting the confining boundaries of the pot walls, locking it in, restricting its growth. Eventually, the urge to expand and escape the confines of the pot it has always called home becomes overwhelming, and even the plant wants a change before it withers and dies.

A master gardener steps in to handle the transplant from small pot to larger pot. The plant is literally uprooted exposing it to the elements, away from the comfort, security and its life necessity – the soil it had been living in. It has no idea what’s in store. When the roots are swaying in the breeze, it’s hard to know where the edges are or to feel grounded.

Soon, the plant is in its new home. It is grounded and surrounded by life-giving soil and nutrients. It has room for expansion, more room for its roots, a more solid foundation. If a plant could smile, it probably would, because while the transition from the smaller pot to the larger was not a pleasant experience, the final transformation made it all worthwhile.

This doesn’t mean we have to like it or remain as motionless victims of chance and circumstance, because unlike the plant and the caterpillar, we have the intelligence and capability to influence our transitions and our outcomes. We might not be able to make huge alterations to our transitional circumstances, but we aren’t necessarily powerless to do anything either.

Here are some strategies you can employ to help you through your personal transitions:

�Maintain a positive attitude. Focus on positive outcomes. Worrying will not change anything and will only cause you ill health, so why worry about things you cannot change – focus on the things you can change instead.

• dentify where you are in the transition journey. Just naming where you are can be helpful. “I’m grieving the loss of the old.” “I’m in transition.” “I’m in a new place and I’m not settled yet.”

• Create your own rite of passage. There is wisdom in our rituals for the ending of a life that can be borrowed for other transitions. Consider holding a wake or funeral to say good-bye to what was.

• Accept your feelings. It is okay to admit that you feel vulnerable – we all do. Accept your feelings as natural and don’t berate yourself. Compared to the length of your entire life, any challenges imposed upon you now are only momentary interruptions.

• Read books about change to support your understanding of the process. I especially like Transitions by William Bridges and Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson.

• Take the long view. Sometimes we have to knock down the old in order to rebuild the new. Challenges provide us with an opportunity to prioritize what is important in our lives and give us a new sense of perspective and priorities.

• Look for opportunities – seek out potential silver linings in your personal clouds. Some experiences really can be blessings in disguise. A lost job now can be the impetus we need to start our own business, which we may have been too afraid to do before.

• Keep the faith. You are in the middle of a process of change that can lead to greater possibilities for everyone concerned, but you are not alone. You are sharing this transformational process with every person on the planet. Look around you. Who could use your support or even a positive word of encouragement?

• Practice self-care. Give yourself more support than you have ever given yourself before. The Transition process takes more energy from us and it’s imperative that we replenish ourselves.

• Get support. Reach out to friends and loved ones. Hire a coach or a therapist if need be. You don’t have to do anything alone.

Regardless of what transitions we are experiencing in life, it is important to realize the potential for amazing transformations waiting for us at the end, and remembering that nobody can dictate how we choose to respond to life’s challenges or the attitude we choose to take.

Siobhan (Sha-vaun) Murphy, Master Certified Coach and Workshop Facilitator, founded The Quest Connection to inspire leaders to integrate their heads with their hearts, fully tap their leadership potential, and create magical workplaces. Visit her at www.questconnection.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Siobhan_Murphy
http://EzineArticles.com/?Moving-Through-Change-With-Ease-and-Grace&id=6743405