How to Identify the Potential Triple Threat in Your Life Transitions
Transitions, whether they are perceived as negative or positive, can be hard. Change is difficult and disruptive. Change can also be scary. As humans, we often don’t like change. Yet, life is constantly full of change. If we are not changing, we are not growing. This is why it is so extremely important to manage our fears and resistance to change or transitions.
There are two types of transitions, intrinsic and extrinsic, that can trigger life threats. Intrinsic transitions are ones we initiate ourselves. Extrinsic transitions are those that are initiated from the outside. Intrinsic transitions can trigger feelings of guilt and the perceived threats of how the change will affect others. Extrinsic transitions can trigger feelings of victimhood.
No matter if the transition is intrinsic or extrinsic, there are three aspects of perception that can be threatened during times of change. These three are referred to as the “triple threat.”
Self: Fear of who you will become on the other side of the transition
Relationships: Fear of how those closest to you will be affected by the transition
Community or Societal norms: Fear about possible judgment from your friends, colleagues, or cultures
Sometimes the perceived threats are realistic; sometimes they are not grounded in reality. Sometimes one of the three triple threats are in play. Other times two or all three triple threats are effecting the movement through a transition. Triple threats can cause people to get stuck in the “messy middle” of a transition. Progress or movement can be stifled until a person works through the perceived threats.
Having a trained transitional coach to help you identify and build self-awareness around potential threats is critical. It is only when the triple threats are addressed, reframed, and used to foster curiosity and growth can a person break through in a transition.
Are you currently in the midst of a life transition? Do you anticipate a transition coming soon? Having a coach journey alongside a person in transition helps illuminate the pathway forward. Coaching during a transition can provide you with a deeper connection or articulation of your purpose, clarity, confidence, and perspective. Click here to explore the current transition coaching packages available.
